22nd Annual Student Research Conference
Why Women Do the Dirty Work: Evaluating Ethnographic Data
Deborah K. Miller
Dr. Amber Johnson, Faculty Mentor
In the 1970s anthropologists began assessing cultural practices related to the gendered division of labor. Building upon arguments put forward during that era, this research aims to evaluate a method for assessing variable attributes as they contribute to gendered division of labor. The primary method for this research is organizing ethnographic data on gendered division of labor and germane attributes of specific activities commonly found in ethnographies. It has been argued that women perform activities that can be combined with childcare which are defined as being: close to home, monotonous, not dangerous, interruptible, and easily resumed once interrupted. Using a sample size of ten cultures with six variables and attributes, correlation analysis is used to determine the significance of individual factors as they relate to the gender of the activity. The information gained contributes to developing a method for a data-based evaluation of factors contributing to gendered division of labor.
Keywords: gender, division of labor by gender, women, childcare, ethnographies, correlation analysis
Topic(s):Anthropology
Sociology/Anthropology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 35-3
Location: VH 1424
Time: 1:45