Beyond the Overall Balance: The Significance of Particular Tasks and Procedures for Perceptions of Fairness in Distributions of Household Work

This paper outlines an approach to perceptions of fairness that extends beyond the usual emphasis on the overall balance of what each person does. The emphasis falls instead on perceptions of fairness associated with particular tasks and particular procedures (ways of achieving a task division or a redistribution of tasks). The approach is illustrated by the summarized results of a series of studies. Results are discussed in terms of research questions that might now be taken further and in terms of expectations that appear to underlie perceptions of fairness: in particular, ideas about the ownership of tasks and about behaviors appropriate in family relationships.