Question

A system in which all work inside the home is done by women of the family is called
1. division of labour
2. gender inequality
3. sexual division of labour
4. None of the above

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : sexual division of labour

A system in which all work inside the home is done by women of the family and the work is divided on the basis of gender is called the sexual division of labour.

The sexual division of labour is a form of hierarchical social division that is seen everywhere.

• It is not based on biology but on social expectations and stereotypes.
• Boys and girls are brought up to believe that the main responsibility of women is housework and bringing up children.
• This is reflected in a sexual division of labour in most families: women do all work inside the home such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, tailoring, looking after children, etc., and men do all the work outside the home.
• It is not that men cannot do housework, they simply think that it is for women to attend to these things.
• When these jobs are paid for, men are ready to take up these works.
• Most tailors or cooks in hotels are men.
• Similarly, it is not that women do not work outside their home.
• In villages, women fetch water, collect fuel, and work in the fields. In urban areas, poor women work as domestic helper in middle-class homes, while middle-class women work in offices.
• In fact, the majority of women do some sort of paid work in addition to domestic labour.

• But their work is not valued and does not get recognition.

Hence, the correct answer is the sexual division of labour.