Division of Labor, Domestic

The division of domestic labor refers to the division of unpaid household work and care between household or family members. The origin of the term lies in the feminist interrogation of the “black box” of the family, and the main sociological theories associated with it are marital power and doing gender. Empirical findings show that women are consistently found to perform the bulk of household work and care, despite substantial long-term decreases in the time they spend on household domestic labor and some recent increases in men's contributions. Other individual and institutional factors found to be associated with the division of domestic labor and care are educational level, family status, and welfare state regime. Current trends indicate the potential for continuing change, which will ultimately depend on men's contributions continuing to increase, coupled with a strong institutional commitment to greater gender equality.