Sex Role Orientation, Wife's Employment, and the Division of Household Labor

Abstract

The present study examined the effects of sex role orientation (androgynous, masculine, feminine, or undifferentiated) and the wife's employment status on the division of housework and childcare and satisfaction with the division of 75 families with at least one preschool child. The data were analyzed by t‐tests, one‐ and two‐way analyses of variance, and multiple regression. The results indicate that where wives work outside the home, husbands and wives share childcare and housework more. Multiple regression indicated that wife's employment status, husband's femininity score, and number of children were significant pre dictors of husband's sharing of childcare, but not for wives. Husband's mascu linity scores predicted their satisfaction scores. None of the variables studied predicted wives' satisfaction with housework or childcare.