Household activities of men and women and their effect upon perceived sense of control and satisfaction with level of living

Abstract

Examination of household economic activities including management, interfamily economic exchange and production as they influence level of living was conducted on samples of men and women. Differences in reported activities as well as perceptions were observed for men and women. Forty-five per cent of the variation in men's satisfaction with level of living was explained by economic and management activities and socioeconomic demographic characteristics, whereas 46% of women's variation was explained by these variables. The paths to Satisfaction with level of living were different. Perceived sense of control was an intervening variable between activitieslcharacteristics and satisfaction with level of living for women but not for men. The results support the hypothesized relationships in the family economic model. The results document the possibility for household economic activities as sources of real income to maintain and improve level of living, especially in times of decreased purchasing power.