Justice in the home: children's and adolescents' perceptions of the fair distribution of household chores

Abstract

The present study examined the fairness judgements and reasoning offered by children and adolescents in the context of the division of household labour among siblings. The data were examined for grade level differences in the endorsement of three distributive justice principles (equality, equity and need). Male and female third grade, sixth grade and ninth grade participants were read a total of six stories, each describing four siblings engaged in household chores. Two stories each represented the principles of equality, equity and need. Participants indicated how fair they thought the division of chores was using a 5‐point Likert scale, and then provided a rationale for each fairness rating. Findings indicated endorsement of the equality principle by the majority of participants, regardless of grade level. Analyses also revealed that the sixth graders were the least likely to view as fair a division of labour based on need. Overall, the study's findings support the notion that the endorsement of the principles of justice depends on the circumstances of the situation.