Determinants of Male Family-Role Performance

Abstract

Three competing hypotheses are tested regarding determinants of husband's (vs. wife's) participation in 12 selected household/child-care activities. The research utilizes interview responses of husbands, although it compares responses of both husbands and wives in a proportionate stratified area-probability sample from adjacent midwestern cities. The socialization-ideology hypothesis receives the strongest, albeit modest, support of the three hypotheses. Only marginal support is found for the relative husband/wife resources hypothesis, emphasizing professional employment of wives. No support is found for the time-availability hypothesis. Implications for the further integration of work and family roles for men are considered.