Ethnicity, Division of Household Tasks and Equity in Marital Roles: A Comparison of Anglo and Mexican American Couples

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare Mexican American and Anglo couples on task division and perception of equity of the task division in the home. The sample consisted of 25 couples of each ethnic group. The Mexican American couples were also divided into high and low acculturated groups and compared on these variables. The subjects were students and their spouses from a southwestern university. An acculturation scale, a division of labor scale, and a perceived equity inventory were administered to each couple. Findings revealed no significant difference (p = .05) between the two cultural groups in task differentiation. The greatest difference was between husbands and wives (p < .0001), with wives responsible for the greater share of the household tasks regardless of whether they worked to support the family or were students. The findings from the Equity Scale do show a significant difference between ethnic groups, with Anglo males reporting that they should do more in the home to make the task division fairer. Also, female Mexican Americans reported that their husbands should do more to make the task division equitable.