The relationship between attitudes toward gender roles and domestic division of labor among women and men

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between attitudes toward gender roles and domestic division of labor among adult women and men. Subjects (N = 169) were randomly selected and voluntarily participated by completing a six-page questionnaire consisting of a cover letter/consent form, demographics, Division of Household Labor scale (Yost, 1991), and the Attitudes Toward Women Scale (Spence & Helmreich, 1972). T-tests provided significant results regarding attitudes toward gender roles with women appearing more liberal than the men. A statistically significant result was also achieved regarding gender differences in division of household labor with women being responsible for a greater quantity of tasks than the men. Women also reported a larger weekly time commitment to domestic tasks. There was also a difference evident in the type of tasks for which each gender held primary responsibility. There was a significant positive correlation for the males only between attitudes toward gender roles and domestic division of labor. A significant negative correlation was achieved in examining the relationship between women's age and attitudes toward gender roles. Finally, motivation for division of domestic tasks found most subjects basing this upon abilities, interests, time or health concerns. A majority of the subjects reported satisfaction with their current situation. Discussion of the results and recommendations for future research are included.