Gains from Trade and Specialization: The Division of Work in Married Couple Households

Stratton, Leslie S.

doi:10.1002/9780470755648.ch5

Cited by 16 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Most participants were in dual‐career families and this created tensions in terms of sharing parenting and caring roles and also household duties (Coltrane, 2004). On the last point, although no mention was made of how household tasks are allocated (I did not specifically ask about this), it should be noted that other research shows that women in dual‐career partnerships spend more time on housework than their male partners and this impacts negatively on their work–life balance (Stratton, 2003). Thus, other strategies for improving work–life balance included the employment of cleaners, ‘ironing ladies’, dog walkers, gardeners and ‘odd job men’ to aid the smooth running of the home.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Allowed into a Man's World’ Meanings of Work–Life Balance: Perspectives of Women Civil Engineers as ‘Minority’ Workers in Construction

Watts

2008

Gender Work & Organization

218

186

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article discusses how women working as civil engineers within the UK construction industry perceive work-life balance and considers strategies they use to achieve this. The findings are presented of a qualitative research project that explored the experiences of women in this role, focusing on the subcultural context of a profession that is dominated by the values of presenteeism and infinite availability. A feminist poststructuralist framework is used to analyse how women negotiate their personal and professional time and the extent to which their other roles as carers and nurturers unsettle male work practices in this highly gendered profession. There are gradually increasing numbers of women in professional construction roles and their success appears to depend on being able to fit in to the dominant masculine culture of long working hours and the male pub gathering. Despite an increased presence, women's minority status in construction continues to challenge their professional identity and this is central to the conflict many face between the dual roles of corporate worker and private non-work person.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Allowed into a Man's World’ Meanings of Work–Life Balance: Perspectives of Women Civil Engineers as ‘Minority’ Workers in Construction

Watts

2008

Gender Work & Organization

218

186

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The discourses of marital and work equality (not mirrored in positivist behavioural research) have failed to supplant or eradicate a discourse on gendered childrearing and domestic work which is mirrored in statistical norms and household data (Becker and Moen, 1999; Burton, 1991; Davidson and Cooper, 1992; Parker and Fagenson, 1994; Pringle and Tudhope, 1996; Stratton, 2003; White, 2003, p. 158). Wajcman (1999, p. 133) has noted that sociological studies bridging family and work have been limited due to different academic traditions.…”

Section: Family–work Nexusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childlessness and Women Managers: 'Choice', Context and Discourses

Wood¹,

Newton²

2006

Gender Work & Org

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Childlessness is increasing and might reflect acceptance of diversity, scope for individual choice and a creative 'social imaginary' about being feminine without being a mother. Childlessness also appears to have a contextual manifestation arising from the recognition that the long-hours work culture in many organizations does not support appropriate parenting. A qualitative study of Australian managers reveals the contradictory discourses of childlessness around enlightened equality, maternalism, an elusive, ideal 'work-life balance' and individualism. The article explores a contextually nuanced, dynamic, generative theory of agency which does not hinge on the mother-child dyad, in explaining women managers' choices to remain childless.

show abstract

“…Compared to couples who marry directly, those who have cohabited may be less committed to their relationship due to the uncertainty surrounding their future (Axinn and Thornton, 1992; Cohan and Kleinbaum, 2002; Lillard et al, 1995). Evidence has shown that cohabiting women are less incentivized to specialize in unpaid domestic work, and they are more likely to be employed full-time than married women (Bianchi et al, 2014; Glick and Spanier, 1980; Stratton, 2005). As a result, the lower economic interdependency among cohabiting couples translates into more egalitarian divisions of housework.…”

Section: Household Labor and Union Typementioning

confidence: 99%

Premarital cohabitation and the gendered division of household labor in China

Yang

2024

Chinese Journal of Sociology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Premarital cohabitation has been understudied in China, and its impact on marriages in the region remains largely unexplored. This study examines the implications of premarital cohabitation for gender inequalities in Chinese marriages. The author analyzes how married couples with and without the experience of premarital cohabitation compare in the amounts of time they spend doing housework, whether the differences can be attributed to social and economic factors, and to what extent the experience of cohabitation equalizes the gendered division of housework. Drawing on four waves of data (2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018) from the China Family Panel Studies, this study is one of the first to provide nationally representative evidence on the relationship between premarital cohabitation and housework in China. Propensity score weighting and linear mixed effect models were employed. In contrast to findings from Western contexts, this study finds that in China, premarital cohabitation is not associated with a smaller gender gap in housework time after accounting for factors that affect selection into cohabitation. However, premarital cohabitation was associated with a significant decrease in women's housework time among urban residents and couples married after 1995, while its effect on men's housework time was not significant. Findings from this study highlight a gendered cohabitation effect on housework hours in China and underscore the importance of contextualizing the meanings of cohabitation and housework in non-Western contexts.

show abstract

Gains from Trade and Specialization: The Division of Work in Married Couple Households

Cited by 16 publications

References 10 publications

‘Allowed into a Man's World’ Meanings of Work–Life Balance: Perspectives of Women Civil Engineers as ‘Minority’ Workers in Construction

‘Allowed into a Man's World’ Meanings of Work–Life Balance: Perspectives of Women Civil Engineers as ‘Minority’ Workers in Construction

Childlessness and Women Managers: 'Choice', Context and Discourses

Premarital cohabitation and the gendered division of household labor in China

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About