Testing a Decision Process Model of the Sexual Division of Labor in the Family

Data from a study of household task allocation processes are used to challenge assertions about the inadequacies of natural decision models of choice behavior. A formal decision model, constructed from ethnosemantic-type data, is evaluated against actual performance data using both direct tests and indirect statistical procedures. Results demonstrate that ethnographic decision models can be subjected to rigorous testing procedures and are capable of accounting for both inter-informant and temporal variability in choice behavior, and offer insights not available using other methods.