Mattering Moderates the Link between Gender Ideology and Perceived Fairness of the Division of Household Labor

Abstract

This study examines the moderational role played by the feeling of mattering to the partner in the relationship between gender ideology and perceived fairness using a sample of 141 Canadian mothers with at least one child between the ages of two to five years old. Results support the moderator model and suggest that the emotional rewards mothers receive from their romantic partner influence the way they use gender ideology to evaluate the fairness of the division of family labor in their household. The results show that egalitarian gender ideology is associated with a greater sense of unfairness only when women feel that their partner demonstrates a low level of appreciation toward them. The findings are discussed in terms of the distributive justice theory.