Determinants of Family Task Sharing: A Study of Husbands and Wives

Abstract

This study, based on data from a sample of 166 couples, explores the relationship between degree of family task sharing and (a) sex-role orientation, (b) role salience, (c) income and (d) family type. The results suggest that wives and husbands indicate different explanatory models for family task-sharing behavior. For wives, it is most often income and family type that seem to translate into increased task sharing. For husbands, it is sex-role orientation, family type, and role salience that appear to influence sharing behavior the most.