ABSTRACT

Soviet scholars have studied various aspects of the ways women combine work with household duties. The literature offers recommendations aimed at easing the load borne by working women: redistribution of family and household duties among all able-bodied members of the family, further expansion of the service sector and public catering and more favorable work schedules for women. The effects of part-time work on the performance of household and work duties were studied in a socioeconomic experiment carried out by a group of researchers from the Odessa Institute of the National Economy at one of the construction organizations in the city. The experiment was preceded by extensive preliminary work among the workers of the construction organization. The studies revealed a clear relationship between opportunities for a woman's personal development and the extent to which her husband helps her around the house and in bringing up the children.