ABSTRACT
ACCORDING TO POPULAR IMAGE AND EARLY RESEARCH, Latino husbands and fathers are authoritarian and uninvolved in the daily routines of family life. Although this stereotypical portrayal has been challenged recently, we still know little about the interplay of Latino men’s work and family roles. In this chapter, we draw on interviews with 20 Chicano (Mexican-American) couples to explore how mothers and fathers balance paid and unpaid work. We are especially concerned with whether wives in dual-earner Chicano families assume the role of co-provider and whether women’s higher earning power is associated with husbands’ assuming more responsibility for child care and housekeeping.
