Shain-May Tang
Department of Living Science National Open University
The purpose of this study is to investigate the division of domestic labor from the point of the nature of housework. Traditional theories (such as time availability, resources, and sex-role ideology) can hardly explain division of housework. One reason is that housework reflects not only gender differences in time and task, but also a way of expressing love and care. The other reason is that we could never really understand the effects of housework allocation, when the nature of housework remains unclear. Therefore, this study is not restricted by any theory. The researcher intends to look at the spouse’s division of domestic labor from a different but basic point: the nature of housework, without the influence of the previous explanations of phenomenon. The sample used in this qualitative study is limited to dual-earner couples. A total of 21 couples (42 respondents) are interviewed in order to deeply analyze the issues in this study. The findings of this study draw four important conclusions: First, the meaning of housework includes four parts: the place, the contents, the people, and the behavior. Second, the contents of housework are various. They include not only traditional items (such as cooking, washing, and cleaning), but also controversial items (such as child care and interaction among relatives) and positive items (such as the design of future plan and the spouses’ intimate relationships). Third, the characteristics of housework consist of routine, complication, flexibility, repetition, replacement, discontinuity, gender division, and love expression, but men and women have significantly different experiences. Four, the effects on housework allocation, including sex-role ideology, family life cycle, individual favor, personal specialty, family situation, and housework standards, are significantly related to the characteristics of housework.
Keywords: housework, division of domestic labor (housework allocation)