Skip to main content
Log in

Family Formation and the Divisions of Labour in Belgian Couple Households

  • Published:
Quality and Quantity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this chapter the authors describe how a quantitative analysis resulted in a proposal for a qualitative research. The aim of the quantitative research was to analyse the impact of family formation on the division of labour in couple households, based on data from the Panel Study on Belgian Households.

In a first step a typology was made based upon data of 1224 Belgian couple households (1995). The second step consisted of a longitudinal analysis for the period between 1992 and 1995. The analysis of the impact of birth on the division of labour gave evidence of the revocability of equal patterns of division of labour.

Based on these findings the authors concluded that the classic concept of emancipation does not allow us to understand the empirical phenomena. Hence, the authors proposed a new (qualitative) investigation aimed at clarification and empirical validation of different contents of the concept of emancipation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bawin, B. & Jacobs, Th. (1992). Research plan of the Belgian household panel study,Working papers of the ESF network on household panel studies, Nr. 17, Essex.

  • Commaille, J. (1993). Les stratégies des femmes. Travail, famille et politique. La découverte, Paris13.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Bruyn, S. (1997). "De verdeling van de huishoudelijke arbeid: introductie van een interactiemodel", PSW-papers, Nr. 4. UIA, Antwerpen.

  • Decoster, K., Jacobs, T., Marynissen, R. et al. (1997). Methodebericht golf 4 (1995). Antwerpen: UIA Steunpunt Gezinsdemografisch Panel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gershuny, J. (1995). Change in the division of domestic work: micro-sociological evidence, Berlin, DIW-discussion paper No. 107.

  • Gershuny, J., Bittman,M. & Brice, J. (1998). Exit, voice and suffering: Do couples adapt to changing employment patterns? Unpublished paper, presented at the Workshop "Analysing Panel Data: problems and solutions", Antwerp.

  • Giddens, A. (1992). The Transformation of Intimacy.Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies, Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hakim, C. (1998). Models of the family, labour force participation and welfare systems: a new perspective from Preference Theory, Paper ESF-conference, Castelvecchio.

  • Pfau-Effinger, B. (1996). Analyse internationaler Differenzen in der Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen. Theoretischen Rahmen und empirische Ergebnisse. In: Kölner Zeitschrift fur Soziologie und Sozial Psychologie 48(3): 462–492.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jacobs, T., De Maeyer, S. & Beck, M. Family Formation and the Divisions of Labour in Belgian Couple Households. Quality & Quantity 33, 291–304 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004600921053

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004600921053

Navigation