30th Annual Student Research Conference
Effect of Task Compatibility with Childcare for Explaining Patterns on Cross-Cultural Sexual Division of Labor
Kayleigh J. Mrasek
Dr. Amber Johnson and Dr. Paul Shapiro, Faculty Mentors
This study evaluates the effects of task compatibility with child care in the Turks, Aleut, Wolof, and Incan cultures. Brown’s hypothesis is that women are primarily responsible for activities that are compatible with childcare and identifies the four main criteria to evaluate compatibility with childcare: repetition, interruptability, proximity to the home, and lack of danger. This study builds on work documenting sexual division of labor for specific activities, but it fills a gap in the literature with an empirical test of Brown’s theory. Results show that there is a significant positive correlation between what women are responsible for within their culture and how closely these tasks relate to child care.
Keywords: task compatibility, childcare, gender, women, culture, Browns hypothesis, division of labor, gender roles
Topic(s):Anthropology
Sociology
Women's and Gender Studies
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 3-1
Location: GEO - SUB
Time: 3:30