While families are often seen as spaces of emotional support and nurturing, they are also key sites of labor. Homes function much like businesses—providing services such as accommodation, meals, cleaning, child-rearing, and entertainment. Even when a household isn’t directly involved in producing or selling goods, it plays a vital economic role by sustaining workers, consuming goods, and raising the next generation of the labor force. These daily functions require substantial time and effort, often equivalent to what’s spent in formal employment.

In essence, every home operates as a multi-purpose hub—a hotel, a restaurant, a laundry, and often a daycare and event center rolled into one. Much of the labor that keeps these “services” running happens behind the scenes and tends to go unnoticed, especially by the main beneficiaries, like children and male family members. Whether it’s preparing meals or organizing festive gatherings, a great deal of planning, physical work, and emotional energy is involved.

Women continue to carry out the majority of domestic responsibilities, despite the fact that similar work—when done professionally—is typically performed by men for wages, in roles such as chefs, janitors, or waitstaff. Social norms often label domestic chores as “natural” for women, but this assumption is not supported by global evidence. Around the world, the division of labor varies dramatically, and it is shaped by cultural, environmental, and societal factors—not biology.

For example, caregiving, household management, and other tasks traditionally seen as “female” are sometimes performed by men in different cultures. Likewise, roles typically viewed as male-dominated—such as military service, hunting, or leadership—are not exclusive to men. In reality, there is no universal rulebook assigning specific tasks to a particular gender; labor roles are socially constructed and adaptable across different communities and time periods.

Attitudes Toward Gender Roles

Attitudes toward gender—or sex role attitudes—reflect an individual’s beliefs about how men and women should behave in society. These views often mirror culturally accepted norms that define gender-specific behavior and expectations, especially within relationships and family dynamics.

Gender role attitudes can indicate the extent to which a person accepts or challenges societal norms about masculinity and femininity. For instance, whether someone believes that only men should be breadwinners or that both parents should equally share child-rearing responsibilities reveals much about their stance on traditional versus progressive gender roles.

Surveys exploring these attitudes often include questions on how people perceive the responsibilities of men and women within the household. Statements like “men should always pay for dates,” “both parents should change diapers,” or “women should take their husband’s last name after marriage” highlight the kinds of assumptions people may hold about gendered behavior.

These attitudes shape how we interact with others and often lead to stereotyping—assigning traits, behaviors, or roles to people simply based on their gender. While both men and women are impacted by gender-based assumptions, these biases have historically disadvantaged women. Language, customs, and workplace structures often reinforce male dominance, limiting women’s opportunities and undervaluing their contributions.