| The present study seeks to clarify the impact of feminist versus traditional belief systems on the division of labour and dyadic adjustment during the transition to parenthood. This was investigated in a short-term longitudinal study in which sixty-three traditional and feminist couples participated. As hypothesized, couples spent proportionately more time doing traditional household tasks, and proportionately less time doing non-traditional household tasks, after their baby was born. Furthermore, women did more than twice the number of hours per day of household labour and childcare at eight weeks postpartum. Contrary to expectations that feminist couples would show a less marked movement toward a traditional postpartum division of labour than couples with more traditional attitudes, there was no difference found between feminist and traditional couples on the postpartum division of labour. Unlike the trend documented in the literature, no decrease in dyadic adjustment was found after the birth of the first child. Nor did a fussy or frequently crying baby result in lower dyadic adjustment scores postpartum, as hypothesized. Women remain responsible for household labour and childcare, but it is the fathers' willingness to participate that determines the extent of their burden. (Abstract shortened by UMI.). |
