EMPLOYED WIVES ORIENTATIONS TO BREADWINNING - A GENDER THEORY ANALYSIS

In this study gender theory is used to examine employed wives' orientations to breadwinning; the focus is on the meaning attached to wives' employment and on breadwinning as a gender boundary in families. Data are from interviews with wives in 153 dual-earner couples. Three dimensions of breadwinning, identified through factor analysis, are used to create a typology of employed wives' orientations to breadwinning. Multiple regression analysis identifies factors that predict these orientations. Conclusions are that employed wives vary considerably in their orientations to breadwinning, that these orientations depend primarily on situational factors, and that gender theory provides the richest understanding of these phenomena.