The most notable characteristic of the current division of household labor is that, whether employed or not, women continue to do the majority of housework. Current estimates are that men do between 20% and 35% of the housework. In spite of disagreement over the significance of change in the division of household labor, the nature of the recent shifts is clear. Women still do the majority of housework, but they are doing less and their spouses more than in the past. In this paper, the authors review the central issues and questions that arise in research on the division of household labor. In brief, these issues pertain to how housework can and should be measured, what factors, either historical or contemporary, can help people understand the current division of household labor and variation in it, and finally, the consequences of the unequal division of household labor.
