Addresses the relationship between unemployment of men and women and the division of labor in their households and how the psychological well-being of unemployed individuals related to the division of labor in their families. Changes in the employment status of men and women had only limited effects on household division of labor. (Author/ABL)

Data from 359 married, full-time employed women tested extent to which allocation of tasks and allocation of household management predict perceptions of fairness and conflict. Task and management allocation contributed independently and differently to perceptions of fairness and conflict about housework allocation. Unfairness was predicted by both…

Analyzed determinants of wives' perceptions of fairness of division of household labor. Data from 1988 National Survey of Families and Households indicated that husbands' contributions to "female" tasks and appreciation of women's household labor were most important determinants of wives' perceptions of fairness, with strength of…

Tests whether an increase in number of sons in the family decreases the sex-typing of traditionally female tasks and whether an increase in the number of daughters increases sex-typing of traditionally female chores. Examines the reverse pattern for male chores. Results support the hypotheses for the female-specific tasks. (BH)

Examined effects of employment resources (income and workplace authority) on percentage of feminine-typed housekeeping tasks done by Canadian women and men. Found that personal achievements in labor market mediated effects of relative employment resources on performing such tasks, albeit differently for Canadian women and men. French-Canadian…

Explored how timing of transition to parenthood is associated with later divisions of domestic labor in representative sample of U.S. parents. Time availability and wife's ideology were consistent predictors of husband's sharing more routine housework in early and delayed households. Resource/exchange models were supported for early-birth couples…

An understanding of basic attitudes toward housework is explored to fill a logical gap in the research into equity issues within households. Men's and women's attitudes and standards are compared. Results for women are compared with findings from a 1975 survey. Discussion relates findings to research and theory. (EMK)

Investigated the relationship between marital satisfaction and perceptions of the distribution of housework and child care from two theoretical perspectives--social exchange and equity--in four population groups. Results show that there are significant relationships between marital satisfaction and perceptions of the distribution of housework and…

Following an overview of historical and current orientations to the study of housework, prevailing assumptions that underlie this research are examined. As most research has emphasized technical, economic, and political dimensions, it is suggested that housework be reconceptualized as family work with its basis in moral obligation. (JPS)

Reviews feminism and family research, noting that feminist explanations of how families operate and contribute to maintaining women's subordination have shifted in 1980s from those that emphasize sex roles and socialization to those that describe processes of categorization and stratification by gender. This latter approach, called gender theory,…

Surveyed dual-employed couple to explore causes of satisfaction with and arguments over division of household labor. Found husbands more satisfied with equitable division; wives more satisfied with division favoring them. Wives were more content if husbands shared women's traditional chores. Spouses disagreed about how often they argued over…

The evidence suggests that adolescents have only slightly more responsibility for household chores when the mother is employed, and that their degree of participation in social activities does not differ consistently from respondents whose mothers are not employed. (Author)

Examined relationship of family life satisfaction to division of household work between men and women among married Black adults. Found women almost twice as likely as men to feel overworked by household work; people who felt overworked had lower levels of family life satisfaction. Found interactions among family life satisfaction, division of…

Used nationally representative sample of 2,031 adults aged 18 to 90 to compare housework and family care as primary activity with paid work and with volunteer work, leisure activities, home and yard maintenance, and schoolwork. Found that unpaid domestic work was more routine, and it provided less intrinsic gratification and fewer extrinsic…

Tested Kohn's theory that people who work in highly supervised, routinized occupations are likely to value obedience and conformity in marital and parental relationships. Findings from 244 couples revealed that working conditions were not strong predictors of division of household labor. Concludes that nontraditional gender role values,…