The first reading for this week was chapters 2 and 3 from, "From Marriage to the Market..." These chapters trace women's role in the workplace and household from the late 1800's to more modern times. They explore the differences between white and African-American women. The rise in technology played a large part in the shaping of the gender division of labor.
The second reading was from "Wives and Work: A theory of the Sex-Role Revolution and Its Consequences." Similar to the previous reading, the role of gender in the division of labor is traced beginning in 1890's when they first gained substantial information. Labor roles have a biological basis to them, but the segregation between genders in work and house roles is diminishing. The breadwinner system is no seeing its days as numbered and will not exist for much longer.
