Satisfaction with performance of housework - The roles of time spent, quality assessment, and stress

Where previous research on satisfaction with housework has examined satisfa ction with relative allocations, this study examined spouses' satisfaction with their own performance. The authors found that satisfaction was a funct ion of time spent, quality of outcomes,stress originating both at home and away, and approval by spouses for performance. Time spent and quality of ou tcomes were related in a complex fashion to satisfaction with own performan ce. The relation between time contributions and satisfaction was partially mediated by quality of outcomes, but the relation between quality of outcom es and satisfaction was also moderated by time spent. Several significant m oderating effects suggested that the time contributions and perceived quali ty of outcomes had different meanings under varying circumstances. Patterns of findings for husbands and wives suggested that both used personal stand ards to evaluate performance and both valued their contributions to housewo rk, but the greater responsibility for housework among wives was supported.