GENDER

DIVISION
OF LABOR
 GENDER DIVISION OF
LABOR

the assignment of tasks and roles

to men and women on account
sex
The tendency or attitude, to
ascribe particular traits,
characteristics and roles distinct
to men and distinct to women,
that are often unquestioned and
carried at the back of people’s
minds
 Roles of
Women and
Men
PRODUCTIVE WORK
Work that brings in money, often located
outside the home
 Breadwinning is traditionally
assigned to men, but women have
been doing productive roles but
often regarded as secondary source
of income.
REPRODUCTIVE WORK
Work that ensures
welfare of the family,
often done around
the house;

Came from the

assumption that
women are
“caregivers”
GENDER DIVISION OF LABOR
• In 1985, the United Nations recognized
the double burden of women as the
greatest injustice in the world.
• The reproductive roles such as
childbearing, childrearing and
housework are traditionally assigned to
women.
 In the community, women’s roles are
extensions of their reproductive role; while
men’s roles are organized in formal decision-
making structures.
 Failure to recognize the contribution of
household, particularly women, to social and
economic welfare.
WOMEN’S
MULTIPLE BURDEN
Result of juggling productive and reproductive
work to augment household income.
• Multiple Burden

Refers to doing unpaid work in the home,

paid work as members of the workforce
and volunteer work in the community

Multiple burden in terms of longer hours

of work and greater responsibility at home,
in the community and at the workplace.
 Juan de la Cruz goes
to the doctor
Doctor: What is your job?
Juan: I am a farmer
Doctor: Have you any children?
Juan: God has been good to me. I have
7 children.
Doctor: Does your wife work?
Juan: No, she stays at home.
Doctor: I see. How does she spend her
day?
Juan: Well, she gets up at four in
the morning, fetches water and
wood, makes the fire, cooks
breakfast and cleans the house.
Then she goes to the river and
washes clothes. Once a week
she walks to the grinding mill.
After that
she goes to the town with the two
smallest children where she sells
tomatoes by the roadside while she
knits. She buys what she wants from
the shops. Then cooks the midday
meal.

Doctor: You come home at midday?

Juan: No, she brings the meal to my
place.
Doctor: And after that?
Juan: She stays in the field to do
the weeding, and then goes to the
vegetable garden to water.

Doctor: What do you do?

Juan: I must go and discuss
business and drink with the men
in the village.
Doctor: And after that ?
Juan: I go home for supper which my
wife prepared.
Doctor: Does she go to bed after
supper?

Juan: No. I do. She has many things to

do around the house until 9 or
10:00pm.
Doctor: But I thought you said
your wife doesn’t work.

Juan: Of course, she doesn’t

work. I told you she stays
home.
 However,

the good news is

Gender Roles

do change.
The Vision
should be:
 SHARED
BREADWINNING
 SHARED
parenting
 SHARED
housework
Thank you for
listening!