Sleep as a Gendered Family Affair: Snoring and the 'Dark Side' of Relationships

This study contributes to the emerging sociological literature on sleep, family, and gender by examining the experience and management of snoring within families. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Jewish-Israeli men and women who snore as well as their family members, this article suggests that sleep is a gendered family affair. Family members attempt to face the challenges of snoring by using several management strategies to mend and sustain family ties, which are part of how they "do family." Nevertheless, men and women experience and manage snoring in different ways, thereby "doing gender" in their sleep management, only to find that "doing gender" and "doing family" often conflict. As a result, both the occurrence and management of snoring make relationships stressful, thereby affecting their quality. This research sheds light on the underexplored micro-processes involved in sleep management while providing unique insight into couple dyads and gender differences.