Economic Dependency, Gender, and the Division of Labor at Home

Why does housework remain "women's work"? Some scholars argue that economic dependency comples wives to exchange unpaid labor for a share of the husband's income. Others claim that wives perform housework-and husbands avoid it-to enact symbolically their femininity or masculinity...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of sociology 1994-11, Vol.100 (3), p.652-688
Main Author: Brines, Julie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Dependency Theory
Dependents
Division of Labor
Division of labour
Economic dependence
Economic Factors
Economic models
Economics
Employment
Family
Gender
Housekeeping
Housework
Husbands
Income
Men
Sexes
Sexual Division of Labor
Sexuality. Marriage. Family relations
Sociology
Sociology of the family. Age groups
Spouses
Time dependence
United States
United States of America
Wives
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Summary:Why does housework remain "women's work"? Some scholars argue that economic dependency comples wives to exchange unpaid labor for a share of the husband's income. Others claim that wives perform housework-and husbands avoid it-to enact symbolically their femininity or masculinity. This article examines both perspectives and finds that among wives the link between housework and the transfer of earnings in marriage complies with rules of economic exchange. However, the more a husband relies on his wife for economic support, the less housework he does. It appears that by doing less housework, economically dependent husbands also "dogender."
ISSN:0002-9602
1537-5390
DOI:10.1086/230577