1) What three theoretical perspectives attempt to explain the division of household labor? What is the role of women's employment in these theories?
2) What are the main findings of this study?
3) What factors have influenced the amount of housework that is being done today compared to the 1960s?
4) Do you think that men will continue to increase their time spent on household tasks? How can equality in the division of labor be achieved?
5) The relative resource and specialization frameworks state imply that women are responsible for housework because of their economic dependence on their husbands. In a two-earner household where the wife earns a significant portion of the household income, the economic circumstances of the household depend on both partners. Most authors interpret this situation in terms of a wife's relative economic independence, however it also implies an increase in the husband's economic dependence on his wife's income. Does it make a difference when we frame this in terms of the wife's independence versus the husband's dependence? Why does economic dependence for husbands produce different results on time spent on housework than economic dependence for wives?
6) What is the relationship between husband and wife's egalitarian values and the amount of housework that each performs? How does this help us understand gender relations within the home?
7) Why do Bianchi et al make the distinction between core and other household tasks? Why is this distinction important for understanding the division of labor in the household?
8) Why might it be the case that husbands' time spent performing housework activities tends not to respond to wife's time and work constraints or to the demands of children?
9) What are some of the differences between time diary measurements and reports of average time spent per week of different tasks? Which is more accurate? How is this important when we use measures of time spent in housework (or another type of) activities?
10) Does the particular set of tasks chosen have an impact on the results? Are there other tasks that should be included?
11) Time diary reports require respondents to account for twenty-four hours of the day. However, some tasks (e.g. doing laundry) can be done simultaneously with other tasks. How should time for these activities be taken into account?
12) What are the differences in the effects of the presence of girl teenagers and boy teenagers on the time spent performing housework women and for men? What are some possible explanations for the differences observed?