Gender Attributes of Living Spaces during Travel and Their Impact on Housework-Related Stress

Peer-to-peer accommodations, offering a homelike living space during travel, have become increasingly popular. Yet, it's still uncertain whether the gender power dynamics prevalent in traditional home spaces also manifest in these travel living spaces. This study explores whether tourists view peer-to-peer accommodations as a "gendered space" and how this perception might influence housework-related stress among different genders. Using a sequential mixed-methods design, the research began with interviews to develop a scale measuring the gender attributes of peer-to-peer spaces, autonomy in housework, and associated stress. Following the scale's validation via confirmatory factor analysis, it was applied in further multigroup and mediation analyses. Findings suggest that both men and women experience less stress when their gender aligns with the leisure expectations set by the peer-to-peer space. In addition, the study also reveals that women are more affected by gender role expectations from peer-to-peer living spaces. These findings highlight the importance of considering gender identities in assessing the living experience in peer-to-peer accommodations. This study not only offers tools for measuring the gendered space and housework autonomy within the context of travel but also extends existing literature on peer-to-peer accommodations by integrating theories of gender space and stress.