|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
|
The Division of Household Labor
Suggestions for Future Empirical Consideration and Theoretical Development
MARION TOLBERT COLEMAN
University of Texas at Austin
Although the question of division of household labor between wives and their husbands has been of interest to social scientists for quite some time, in general we do not know much beyond how much time each spends in such activity. While lack of detail and datedness hamper studies based on most large scale data sets, it is possible to glean some initial impressions from the existing work. Those data suggest that there are important qualitative differences between the work that men and women do within the household. This article reviews those findings and presents a gender stratification theoretical framework that appears promising for the examination of the qualitative differences in household and child care division of labor. Three general hypotheses focusing on the concept of the wife's "net economic power" are derived from this framework. Furthermore, the differential impacts of the earnings ratio between husband and wife, stability of that ratio, and presence of surplus income on household division of labor are considered by class. It is suggested that future study focusing on the qualitative aspects of housework and child care sharing within this framework can have social science and policy implications.
Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 9, No. 1,
132-148 (1988)
DOI: 10.1177/019251388009001007
 CiteULike  Complore  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
S. R. Harris
Social Constructionism and Social Inequality: An Introduction to a Special Issue of JCE
Journal of Contemporary Ethnography,
June 1, 2006;
35(3):
223 - 235.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Roxburgh
"I Wish We Had More Time to Spend Together...": The Distribution and Predictors of Perceived Family Time Pressures Among Married Men and Women in the Paid Labor Force
Journal of Family Issues,
April 1, 2006;
27(4):
529 - 553.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Cunningham
Gender in Cohabitation and Marriage: The Influence of Gender Ideology on Housework Allocation Over the Life Course
Journal of Family Issues,
November 1, 2005;
26(8):
1037 - 1061.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. R. Harris
Studying Equality/Inequality: Naturalist and Constructionist Approaches to Equality in Marriage
Journal of Contemporary Ethnography,
April 1, 2003;
32(2):
200 - 232.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Dempsey
Trying to get husbands to do more work at home
Journal of Sociology,
January 1, 1997;
33(2):
216 - 225.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. SULLIVAN
ROZZIE AND HARRIET?: Gender and Family Patterns of Lesbian Coparents
Gender Society,
December 1, 1996;
10(6):
747 - 767.
[Abstract]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. SANCHEZ and E. W. KANE
Women's and Men's Constructions of Perceptions of Housework Fairness
Journal of Family Issues,
May 1, 1996;
17(3):
358 - 387.
[Abstract]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. H. STOHS
Alternative Ethics in Employed Women's Household Labor
Journal of Family Issues,
December 1, 1994;
15(4):
550 - 561.
[Abstract]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. M. FERREE
The Gender Division of Labor in Two-Earner Marriages: Dimensions of Variability and Change
Journal of Family Issues,
June 1, 1991;
12(2):
158 - 180.
[Abstract]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. A. SHELTON
The Distribution of Household Tasks: Does Wife's Employment Status Make a Difference?
Journal of Family Issues,
June 1, 1990;
11(2):
115 - 135.
[Abstract]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. COLTRANE
Birth Timing and the Division of Labor in Dual-Earner Families: Exploratory Findings and Suggestions for Future Research
Journal of Family Issues,
June 1, 1990;
11(2):
157 - 181.
[Abstract]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. L. BLUMBERG and M. T. COLEMAN
A Theoretical Look at the Gender Balance of Power in the American Couple
Journal of Family Issues,
June 1, 1989;
10(2):
225 - 250.
[Abstract]
|
|
|
|
|
