[Gender Inequality and the Division of Labour]

by

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this chance for thanking my research facilitator, friends & family for support they provided & their belief in me as well as guidance they provided without which I would have never been able to do this research.

DECLARATION

I, (Your name), would like to declare that all contents included in this thesis/dissertation stand for my individual work without any aid, & this thesis/dissertation has not been submitted for any examination at academic as well as professional level previously. It is also representing my very own views & not essentially which are associated with university.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

The household division of labour and pay inequality between men and women is a great debate since many years. There are three main theoretical perspectives to examine when discussing household division of labour and pay inequality between men and women. The individual model argues that an individual makes rational choices when investing in Human Capital, which directly affects their income. Structural theory states that the position that an individual occupies determines the income and reward that one receives. Gender theory states that gender is a process of devaluation and sorting that determines the type of jobs that one occupies and the income they receive. It is expected that and increase in household labour will result in a decrease in income. It is also expected that women will have lower income than men. An OLS regression analysis is performed. Women earn £60.40 less per week than men, net of other factors. Increased participation in household labour food preparation results in a slight decrease in income. However, this is only significant for women who receive a decrease in income of £26.62 per week. Policy implications are discussed, these include things such as encouraging women to further their education, reduce the inequality between jobs for men and women, enforcement of anti- discrimination laws based on marital status and an increase in family-friendly policies in the workplace.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT2

DECLARATION3

ABSTRACT4

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW7

Background7

Ascriptive Inequality in the Workplace7

Race, Gender and Socio-cultural Interactions at Work9

Individual Model14

Structural Model15

Alternative Model21

Hypothesis22

Individual Model22

Structural Model22

Gender Model23

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY24

Data24

Variables24

Dependent Variable24

Individual Level Factors25

Structural Level Factors25

Gender Level Factors26

Time Factors27

Methodology28

CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND RESULTS29

Univariate and Bivariate Analysis29

Table 1a and 1b: Values for Full Sample by Sex29

Table 2: Time Use by Males and Females30

Table 3: OLS Regression Analysis for the Income32

Determination Model32

Table 4: Cost of Unpaid Labour for Men and Women34

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION35

Discussion35

Limitations35

Policy Implications36

REFERENCES38

APPENDICES41

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

In an attempt to find a level of equality in today's society, women are more prominent in the labour force and higher education than they have ever been in previous years. Despite these new demands outside of the home, women still do a majority of the housework (Sayer 2005) and make around 25% less income than men. Regardless of the women's liberation movement, this inequality takes place both on an economic and social level. Because of this, it is important that we explore this inequality in relation to household labour and ...