Unpaid household labor plays a significant role in the economy and also within families. Think about how income inequality impacts family members and family responsibilities. It is often easier to quantify paid work that is done outside of the household than it is to apply a dollar amount to unpaid household duties.
Step 1: Make a list of housework and care work that a stay-at-home parent (2 elementary-aged children) does during a typical week. Examples include but extend well beyond meal preparation, shopping, cleaning, errands, transportation, child care, etc. Make sure you include all housework and care needed for a household.
Step 2: Conduct research to find out how much it would cost to pay for these services. For example, how much would it cost to pay someone to prepare daily meals, do laundry, clean, childcare, help children with homework, etc.?
Step 3: Explain how the division of unpaid housework and care work are affected by gender, culture, and income. Discuss how the labor of a stay-at-home parent directly contributes to and supports the work of other family members.
This step needs to be between 200-250 words, double-spaced, size 12 font, include at least 1 peer-reviewed journal article as a reference, and use APA 7th edition formatting for references only.
