THE DIVISION OF HOUSEHOLD LABOR

In this chapter we review research on the division of household labor and its consequences. The review summarizes research focused on issues of measurement, including research on methods of gathering data on ho usework time and time use in general and discussions of various ways t o operationalize the division of household labor. Some attention is pa id to historical and theoretical work on housework and women's respons ibility for it in particular, followed by a more detailed discussion o f current empirical approaches to explaining the division of household labor as well as criticisms of these approaches. Finally, we review r esearch that examines the consequences of the division of household la bor, focusing on those studies that examine its impact on labor force participation and wages, marital and family satisfaction, psychologica l well-being, and perceptions of fairness.