Week 11 Discussion – Why Do Women Do More Household Chores?

READING: For American couples, gender gaps in sharing household responsibilities persist amid pandemic (Barraso, A., 2021)

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“Whether or not women are employed outside the home, wives, or cohabitating, most women in heterosexual relationships report doing more unpaid family labor than men report on average..Husbands typically spend more hours in paid employment and fewer hours on housework…Social scientists have proposed alternative hypotheses for why women do more unpaid household labor ” (Lamanna et al., 2021).

RANK these four hypotheses from 1st (Best Explanation for Most People) to 4th and provide a rationale.  What published evidence can you find to support your ranking?  How do these hypotheses explain your experience?  Use your text and other resources. Provide in-text citations and references. 

  • Hypothesis 1: Partners’ relative earnings influence their division of household labor.
  • Hypothesis 2: Gender roles influence partners’ division of household labor.
  • Hypothesis 3: The partner with more power in the relationship can escape undesirable household work.
  • Hypothesis 4: The relative time available to each partner influences the division of household labor.