Balancing Acts: Unraveling the Dynamics of Task Sharing and Work Stress in Intact Couples
Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Cynthia Campbell (Mentor), Boise State University
Abstract
Understanding how work stress affects task sharing in a household can help individuals begin to conceptualize how to achieve positive equality in the home and better understand their own work-related choices, as well as how these choices affect their coordination and relationships with their spouses. Researchers in sociology have studied the relationship between gender, work, and task sharing in households quite extensively and report that mothers in intact families continue to retain most household tasks even though they may have equivalent work hours to their male counterparts. However, less is known about how work stress impacts the manner in which household labor is coordinated between couples. We hypothesized that when stressed, mothers and fathers will take on fewer household tasks or tasks that require less mental and physical effort. As a result, they may reduce their engagement in previously assigned, more challenging tasks. To investigate this hypothesis, we analyzed how mothers and fathers with higher levels of work stress perceive their shared household labor compared to couples with lower levels of work stress. Then, we evaluated how the level of work stress affects the type of household tasks mothers and fathers engage in. Finally, we assessed how mothers and fathers differ in how the level of work stress affects their perceived shared household labor and engagement in various types of household tasks. We collected data on task sharing and work stress in couples in intact families via a self-report survey. Results indicated no significant variable interaction.
Research Questions:
- How do mothers and fathers with high levels of work stress perceive their shared household labor compared to those with low levels of work stress?
- How does the level of work stress affect the type of household tasks mothers and fathers engage in?
- How do mothers and fathers differ in how the level of work stress affects their perceived shared household labor and engagement in various types of household tasks?
Balancing Acts: Unraveling the Dynamics of Task Sharing and Work Stress in Intact Couples
Understanding how work stress affects task sharing in a household can help individuals begin to conceptualize how to achieve positive equality in the home and better understand their own work-related choices, as well as how these choices affect their coordination and relationships with their spouses. Researchers in sociology have studied the relationship between gender, work, and task sharing in households quite extensively and report that mothers in intact families continue to retain most household tasks even though they may have equivalent work hours to their male counterparts. However, less is known about how work stress impacts the manner in which household labor is coordinated between couples. We hypothesized that when stressed, mothers and fathers will take on fewer household tasks or tasks that require less mental and physical effort. As a result, they may reduce their engagement in previously assigned, more challenging tasks. To investigate this hypothesis, we analyzed how mothers and fathers with higher levels of work stress perceive their shared household labor compared to couples with lower levels of work stress. Then, we evaluated how the level of work stress affects the type of household tasks mothers and fathers engage in. Finally, we assessed how mothers and fathers differ in how the level of work stress affects their perceived shared household labor and engagement in various types of household tasks. We collected data on task sharing and work stress in couples in intact families via a self-report survey. Results indicated no significant variable interaction.
Research Questions:
- How do mothers and fathers with high levels of work stress perceive their shared household labor compared to those with low levels of work stress?
- How does the level of work stress affect the type of household tasks mothers and fathers engage in?
- How do mothers and fathers differ in how the level of work stress affects their perceived shared household labor and engagement in various types of household tasks?