Participation in Household and Paid Labor: Effects on Perceptions of Role-Taking Ability

• Published in: Social psychology quarterly 2005-06, Vol.68 (2), p.143-159
• Main Authors: Cast, Alicia D., Bird, Sharon R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ability; Biological and medical sciences; Couples; Division of labor; Empirical research; Employment; Family (Sociological Unit); Family Work Relationship; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender differences; Gender role attitudes; Gender roles; Gender studies; Households; Housekeeping; Housework; Husbands; Ideology; Labor; Longitudinal Studies; Marriage; Married couples; Men; Occupational roles; Participation; Pay; Perception of others; Perceptions; Perspective Taking; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Regression analysis; Role; Role differentiation; Role Perception; Role perceptions; Role taking; Roles; Sex Role; Sex Role Attitudes; Sex Roles; Social Control; Social Environment; Social interaction; Social participation; Social perception; Social psychology; Social role. Sex role; Social Structure; Spouses; Time use; Walking; Wives
• ISSN: 0190-2725; 1939-8999
• DOI: 10.1177/019027250506800203

Our work contributes to research on variation in role-taking by investigating changes in perceptions of role-taking ability over time as a result of exposure to situations and activities typically associated with others; that is, we investigate how "walking in others' shoes" contributes to individuals' perceptions of role-taking ability. Using a sample of newly married couples, we examine the effects of participation in nonnormative domains on such perceptions. We suggest that the more husbands participate in household labor activities, the more they will perceive that they can role-take with their wives; the more wives participate in paid labor activities, the more they will perceive that they can role-take with their husbands. We find, however, that these effects depend on the couple's gender ideology; this point suggests that individuals must be open to the knowledge such experiences provide. We consider the implications of our findings for research on the division of family labor.