Factors affecting the division of labor in households

Abstract

This study reports on the division of household labor in 108 Australian married-couple households and the factors which affect it. The data confirm the persistence of a very segregated division of household labor within Australian families and thus support L. Bryson's (“Thirty Years of Research on the Division of Labor in Australian Families,” Australian Journal of Sex, Marriage & Family, 1983, 4, 125–132) claim that the situation has changed very little in the last few decades. Nevertheless, some couples had moved toward more egalitarian arrangements, with the husband and wife sharing the majority of tasks. Performance of masculine household tasks is not predicted by many of the variables included in the study, with those most highly related being of an ideological nature (political orientation and egalitarianism) or personality variables (masculinity and femininity). Feminine household tasks, though, are done increasingly more often by women as time progresses in terms of age of parents, length of marriage, and number and ages of the children. These results may indicate true changes over time and/or cohort effects. Countering this trend toward greater traditionalism over time are factors that represent peoples' ideas or exposure to ideas, such as educational level achieved, whether currently receiving education, a Labor party political orientation (i.e., less conservative), and egalitarian attitudes. Occupational variables have less association than expected, and while males' income and hours worked mitigate against them participating in feminine areas of housework, women's work hours have no impact. The results for the number of shared tasks reflect those for the feminine tasks, such that as the feminine tasks are done relatively more often by women than by men, there is less sharing of tasks. The validity of measures of household task performance are discussed.