THE 3 CORNERS OF DOMESTIC LABOR - MOTHERS, FATHERS, AND CHILDRENS WEEKDAY AND WEEKEND HOUSEWORK

The distribution of domestic labor among mothers, fathers, and school- age children in 153 families was examined with attention to three cond itions that might facilitate or constrain the distribution of tasks: f amilial earner status, child gender, and ''social time'' (defined here as the distinction between weekdays and weekends). Analyses revealed that mothers' participation in housework from weekday to weekend varie d as a function of familial earner status. Although fathers in single- earner families were significantly less involved in housework during t he week than other fathers, there were no significant group difference s in fathers' participation in housework on the weekend as a function of familial earner status. Children's participation across the week va ried as a function of earner status and gender.