Gender and the Division of Household Labour: An Analysis of the Implications for Mental and Physical Health

Date
2012-06-26
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Abstract
This thesis examines the relationships between the division of household labour and mental and physical health using survey data from 1,193 male and female lawyers in Canada. Household labour is examined in terms of time spent in housework on work days and non-work days, relative contribution to housework, and perceptions of fairness about the division of household tasks. The results indicate that housework time and relative contributions are not particularly detrimental to mental and physical health. Rather, time spent in housework only appears to be harmful when it interferes with weekends or when individuals feel that the division of housework is unfair, particularly if it is unfair to one’s spouse. Interestingly, these relationships do not differ for men and women. The results also suggest that work demands mediate the relationships between gender and health, as well as housework and health. Several avenues for further research are discussed.
Description
Keywords
Sociology, Individual and Family
Citation
Polachek, A. J. (2012). Gender and the Division of Household Labour: An Analysis of the Implications for Mental and Physical Health (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26260