There are considerable variations in families and the division of labor within the family. After doing this exercise, I fall somewhere in the middle of my friends. I knew this exercise would point out a huge disparity in the “division” of labor and was not surprised to see an X in just about all the columns under my name, whether shared with another or not. There were some things I would not have considered family chores such as keeping connected with family and friends. Though, that definitely would slip away if it wasn’t for the women planning events and get togethers. In my house, everyone likes to participate in the fun but nobody likes to do the leg work such as planning the vacation/trip, making the reservations, etc. I’m up on the day to day when it comes to friends, activities and school related issues. I relay a “Reader’s Digest” version of important events and the level of participation is determined by the issues. There are some aspects of family life where women are much more actively involved today such as access to and control over household finances including involvement in financial planning, managing the household budget, completing a large purchase, and handling household moves, etc. These can be viewed as having a more equal role in the family relationship. Though everything comes with some limitations because the majority of domestic duties still fall to women. This includes finding reliable child care when you’re at work or need to travel as well as changing schedules for a sick child. A favorite phrase in our house: Well, if you didn’t do it, I would.
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