Women's part-time employment and gender inequality in the family

This article examines the effects of full- and part-time employment of wome n on various aspects of a household's arrangements. it argues that only ful l-time employment represents a significant transformation in women's roles, thus providing the bargaining resources that allow them to affect the hous ehold's arrangements. The authors see part-time involvement in market work as a way to maintain, rather than change, the traditional division of labor . Based on data collected in the fall of 1994 from a representative sample of the Israeli Jewish population, the authors find that although full-time employment contributes to gender equality within the household, part-time e mployment does not Husbands of fully employed wives are more likely to part icipate in housework chores that are female-dominated, and full-time employ ed women are more likely than part-time; employed or housewives to take par t in the household's financial and expenditure responsibilities. Part-time workers gain no advantage over housewives within their families.