THE STRATEGIC INVOLVEMENT OF CHILDREN IN HOUSEWORK - AN AUSTRALIAN CASE OF 2-INCOME FAMILIES

Two conflicting views emerged from the accounts of two-income parents about their children's participation in housework in an in-depth study conducted during 1991 in NSW, Australia. On the one hand, parents fel t the need to socialise children through housework responsibilities an d on the other hand their contribution was perceived essential due to a lack of resources. Parents strategically used discipline and, positi ve acid negative reinforcement to integrate children in household divi sion of labour. Parents assigned simple chores to the younger children , complex chores in the later years, and expected more advanced housew ork such as cooking family meals, lawn mowing, wood cutting, car washi ng, etc. from teenagers. Mother's time spent in the work-force increas ed children's task performance, especially girls, as they helped in tw ice as many tasks compared to boys. Even though parents believed that they should not pay children for housework they encouraged them to ear n pocket money for chores such as tidying their own room, ironing, was hing the family car, lawn mowing, etc. Children performed about 20 per cent of the household tasks and pitched-in when and where necessary.