The Division of Household Labor

Abstract

In this chapter we review research on the division of household labor and its consequences. The review summarizes research focused on issues of measurement, including research on methods of gathering data on housework time and time use in general and discussions of various ways to operationalize the division of household labor. Some attention is paid to historical and theoretical work on housework and women's responsibility for it in particular, followed by a more detailed discussion of current empirical approaches to explaining the division of household labor as well as criticisms of these approaches. Finally, we review research that examines the consequences of the division of household labor, focusing on those studies that examine its impact on labor force participation and wages, marital and family satisfaction, psychological well-being, and perceptions of fairness.

Publisher

Annual Reviews

Publication Date

8-1-1996

Publication Title

Annual Review of Sociology

Department

Sociology

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.22.1.299

Language

English

Format

text

Link to Full Text

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