EXTENDED SUMMARY

This study aims to find out how married working women with children approach the distribution of domestic labour and whether this approach affects the levels of work-family and/or family-work conflict. While work-family conflict expresses the struggle to balance the demands and responsibilities of work and family life, domestic labour appears as a set of activities consisting of domestic work, a large part of which provides daily vital needs, along with care labour. When we go through the definitions, it is possible to see that there is a relationship between domestic labour and work-family conflict. Indeed, the demands of domestic labour can interfere with an individual’s ability to fulfill their work responsibilities, leading to work-family conflict, while conversely, job demands can interfere with a person’s ability to fulfill their domestic responsibilities, leading to greater stress and conflict at home. Undoubtedly, there is a partial decrease in the time spent on domestic labour by women as they participate in the labour market, whereas there have been partial increases in the time spent on domestic labour by men whose wives are employed. This situation may indicate a shift towards gender equality in domestic labour. However, it should not be forgotten that this trend works both slowly and in favor of those with a higher level of education. Moreover, it is essential to note that the influence of men in this trend towards equality is minimal.

It is seen that men’s contribution to housework increased slightly during the process, whereas the real evolution stemmed from women’s attitudes towards the distribution of domestic labour. As it is known, domestic labour consists of housework and care labour. In the process, women try to establish a work-family balance by reducing the time they spend on housework, while not compromising on care work. In other words, what women often do is an attempt to harmonize. Compromises made in working life, such as choosing jobs with lower hours and reducing their career goals in this context, can be given as examples of what women do to achieve this balance. It is also seen that sometimes balance cannot be established and conflict may be inevitable. Based on this, the study focused on working, married women with children, who are the most disadvantaged group in establishing work-family balance.

In this context, the question to be answered is whether this target group’s approach to domestic labour distribution has a relationship with the work-family or family-work conflict experienced. Based on this, in the study conducted on 700 working married women with children, were first divided into two as traditionalist and egalitarian women based on their answers. Findings showed that traditionalist women experienced less conflict than egalitarian women. This situation is associated with the fact that traditional women have adopted gender roles. As a matter of fact, the majority of women describe domestic labour as helping the people they love.

However, at this point, it is important to note that Hawkins et al.’s (1998) study found that less than one-third of women who spend more time working than their husbands in the context of domestic labour find this situation unfair. Women do not perceive this situation as unfair because they accept the roles assigned by gender norms. Therefore, it seems that there is a valid logical basis for the fact that traditionalist women experience less conflict, as found in the study. On the other hand, many studies also show that couples who embrace gender equality experience less conflict. Therefore, it is thought that the people who will realize the transformation towards gender equality will be women who demand equality in the distribution of domestic labour despite experiencing conflicts. Based on the data, these rates seem sufficient to be a driving force for the result this study aims to achieve. Support for Stohs’ (1995: 257) study, which stated that women could change gender stereotypes by demanding equal contribution to household labour, could come from women who are aware of the significant economic value of unpaid labour and are not afraid of conflict.