Why is Mom Doing All the Chores?: The Developmental Roots of Gender Disparities in Unpaid Domestic Labor

Abstract

Unpaid domestic labor is usually done by women and can act as an obstacle to their personal and professional goals. Asking children about this disparity can help uncover its developmental origins. In the current study, participants (N=91) were asked to provide value rankings for eight jobs; four were unpaid domestic labor and four were paid jobs in the workforce. Both boys and girls valued domestic labor less than paid jobs in the workforce. No significant difference was found between genders. Both girls and boys value unpaid domestic labor less than paid work in the workforce. Therefore, children may be perpetuating this disparity amongst themselves and potentially also in the choices they make about their futures.