SOME CONCEPTUALISATIONS AND MEANINGS OF DOMESTIC LABOUR
SOME CONCEPTUALISATIONS AND MEANINGS OF DOMESTIC LABOUR

Summary/Abstract: In this article, it is suggested that the definitions and conceptualisations of domestic labour should emphasise that it is productive, involving many different types of work and that it is also about constructing 'proper' and 'appropriate' gender relations. An overview of studies, mostly from Anglo Saxon contexts, show that unpaid domestic labour is persistently segregated by gender and continues to be, in practice, mainly 'women's work'. The implications, meanings and consequences of this are outlined as well as a number of explanations that elucidate why inequitable divisions of labour within the home are considered to be fair. It is concluded that the gendered division of domestic labour is not based on a static agreement between individuals but rather should be viewed as a way to 'do gender' that also produces appropriate gender relations. Clearly, these relations as interpersonal processes in combination with prevailing discourses (in the media, community, and government policies) constitute, maintain and enhance a gendered division of labour within a particular context.

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