The Distribution of Household Labor among Women in Dual-Earner Families

This paper reports an empirical investigation of the hypothesis that women in dual-earner families maintain full responsibility for domestic tasks involving care of the home and children. Three specific questions are addressed: (a) Is there variability in the extent of home responsibilities among women in dual-earner families? (b) Has there been significant change in these responsibilities in recent years? (c) What are the correlates of the observed variability? Based on data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Work Experience (NLS data), the findings indicate substantial variability as well as some decrease in the extent of home responsibilities among women in dual-earner families. The major correlates of the observed variability are race, place of residence, and earned income of self and of husband. These variables account for 13 % of individual-level variation in domestic responsibilities among employed married respondents with dependent children.