Domestic division of labour - Oxford Reference

The division of tasks, roles, and duties within the household. With the increased entry of married women into formal employment, sociologists began to look ... 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SeeallrelatedoverviewsinOxfordReference »   MoreLikeThis Showallresultssharingthesesubjects: Socialsciences Sociology GO ShowSummaryDetails Overview domesticdivisionoflabour QuickReference Thedivisionoftasks,roles,anddutieswithinthehousehold.Withtheincreasedentryofmarriedwomenintoformalemployment,sociologistsbegantolookmorecloselyattheprocessesthatlinkedhomeandwork-place,includingthequestionofwhetherornotwomen'sincreasedinvolvementinpaidlabourledtoarenegotiationofthe‘traditional’domesticrolesandorganizationofdomesticlabour.Ahugeempiricalandtheoreticalliteraturewasthengeneratedinarelativelyshorttime.Earlystudiescastdoubtsontheoptimisticview(advanced,forexample,byMichaelYoungandPeterWilmottinTheSymmetricalFamily,1973)that,especiallyamongthemiddleclasses,husbandandwifewereincreasinglysharinginthecomplementary(hithertolargelysegregated)tasksofearningawageandrunningahousehold.Thus,RobertO.BloodandDonaldM.Wolfe(HusbandsandWives,1960)foundthat,amongalargesampleoffamiliesinDetroit,thesexsegregationofdomestictaskswaslargelyunchanged:menperformedoutdoortasksrequiring‘mechanicalaptitude’whilewomendidhousework.SimilarfindingsarereportedinAnnOakley'sTheSociologyofHousework(1974)andStephenEdgell'sMiddleClassCouples(1980).ResearchbyRhonaandRobertN.Rapoportondual-careermarriagesdrewattentiontotheroleconflictconfrontingthewomen,aconflictwhichfrequentlyresultedinthemshoulderinga‘doubleburden’ofacceptingprimaryresponsibilityfortraditionaldomesticlabour,butalsoholdingdownapaidjob.Morerecentstudieshavedocumentedingreatdetailtheextenttowhichthetraditionalallocationofdomestictaskstowomenremainslargelyunaltered.AnexcellentsummaryofthefindingsfromthisexplosionofresearchisLydiaMorris'sTheWorkingsoftheHousehold(1990).SheconcludesthattheAmericanandBritishstudiesproduceparallelfindings,themostimportantofwhichareasfollows:women,includingemployedwomen,continuetobearthemainburdenofdomesticwork;men's(slightly)increasedparticipationindomesticlabourdoesnotoffsetwomen'sincreasedemployment;womeninpart-timeemploymentfareworst,possiblybecauseofalife-cycleeffect,whichcreatesextraworkassociatedwithcaringforyoungchildren;mentendneverthelesstobemoreinvolvedwithdomestictasksatthisstageofthelife-cyclethanatotherstages;thereisrelativestabilityinthelevelofhouseworktimeexpendedbymenwhetherthewifeworksornot.Differencesinemphasisandonpointsofdetailacrossthesestudiesareinteresting,butinsignificantwhensetagainstthecentralandoftenconfirmedfindingechoedbySarahF.Berk,totheeffectthat‘husband'semploymentactivitiesandtheindividualcharacteristicsthatestablishhusbandsintheoccupationalspherearethemostcriticaldeterminantsoftotalhouseholdmarkettime…[whilst]…fewmarriedmenengageinsignificantamountsofhouseholdlabourandchildcare’(TheGenderFactory,1985).Seealsoconjugalrole;householdallocativesystem;sexroles;sexualdivisionoflabour. From:  domesticdivisionoflabour  in  ADictionaryofSociology» Subjects: Socialsciences — Sociology RelatedcontentinOxfordReference Referenceentries domesticdivisionoflabour in ADictionaryofSociology (3rev) Length:470words ViewallrelateditemsinOxfordReference» Searchfor:'domesticdivisionoflabour'inOxfordReference» OxfordUniversityPress Copyright© 2021. Allrightsreserved. PRINTEDFROMOXFORDREFERENCE(www.oxfordreference.com).(c)CopyrightOxfordUniversityPress,2021.AllRightsReserved.Underthetermsofthelicenceagreement,anindividualusermayprintoutaPDFofasingleentryfromareferenceworkinORforpersonaluse(fordetailsseePrivacyPolicyandLegalNotice). date:29December2021 CookiePolicy PrivacyPolicy LegalNotice Credits Accessibility [178.128.221.219] 178.128.221.219 Signintoannotate Close Edit Characterlimit500/500 Delete Cancel Save @! Characterlimit500/500 Cancel Save