Class, breadwinner ideology, and housework among Canadian husbands

Abstract

This paper presents a systematic discussion of class differences in housework and breadwinner ideology, and tests these relationships using a national sample of Canadian husbands. Analyses show that bourgeois males have a lower tendency to participate in housework than the managerial class or than working-class males whether unionized or not. Bourgeois males are also more likely to adhere to the breadwinner ideology than male managers and/or non-union workers. Other mechanisms such as the relative contribution of wife to the family income, husband's or wife's time availability, and/or husband's ideological orientations also effect housework. Housework is not, however, effected by ethnicity or immigration status. The implications of the findings for feminist theory are discussed.