Investigation of Gender Roles and Division of Household Labour in Urban Households in Abuja

The gendered division of household labour is a foundational dimension of gender inequality, reflecting and reproducing unequal power relations between women and men within domestic spaces. This study investigates the nature, determinants, and perceptions of gender roles and household labour division in dual-earner urban households in Abuja. A descriptive survey design was employed, with 260 married urban residents equally divided by gender completing structured questionnaires including a household task inventory and gender attitudes scale. Data were analysed using paired t-tests, regression analysis, and descriptive statistics. Findings reveal that women in dual-earner households perform an average of 4.8 hours of unpaid household labour daily compared to 1.4 hours for men, regardless of relative income contribution. Childcare, cooking, and cleaning remain almost exclusively female-assigned in 78% of households sampled. Younger couples and those where women have higher educational attainment demonstrate more equitable task distribution. Male respondents broadly express support for gender equality in public life but maintain traditional expectations regarding domestic responsibilities. Recommendations include public awareness campaigns on the economic value of unpaid care work, workplace policies supporting male parental involvement, and gender role education in secondary school curricula. This study contributes to gender and domestic labour literature from the North Central zone. Keywords: household labour, gender roles, dual-earner households, Abuja, unpaid care work