The Division of Labor at Home

We examine the division of labor at home in a national sample of couples. When the wife is employed, her husband's relative contribution to the housework increases; well-educated husbands and husbands with less traditional sex-role beliefs are more likely to participate in the household tasks; and the smaller the gap between the husband's earnings and his wife's, the greater his relative contribution. The wife's education and attitudes do not significantly affect the division of labor at home. Thus, there is evidence that the household division of labor is shaped by the husband's values and the relative power of husband and wife. Although time constraints are taken into account they are not taken far since 76 percent of the wives who are employed full-time still do the majority of the housework. We argue that change in the division of labor at home is set in motion by women taking jobs outside the home, but must be completed by a change in men's values.