Attributions and Framing in Working Mothers’ Reports About Division of Family Labor

ABSTRACT This study investigated the process of attribution making regarding family labor in the context of dual earning families with children. Data consisted of 257 attribution statements from 34 working self-identified mothers of children under 18 that were made about experiences with family labor. Findings indicated that participants attribute their experiences to a variety of external, relational, and internal factors including paid work flexibility, gender, amount of labor, responsiveness, task ownership, qualities, roles, and preferences. Further analysis of the internal locus revealed 18 ways participants frame their own and their partners’ qualities and roles. Findings suggest that intrapersonal role conflict, paid work flexibility, health and wellness, and negative partner framing may offer important new insight related to relational equity within the context of family labor.