ABSTRACT
Couples' style of household management mainly depended on how they perceived household work contradictions and how their perceptions impacted on their family order. The difference in the management style of families under the Trade-off model and the Rigid model can be found in the style of household management. Families under the Trade-off model used a flexible style that led to effective management of household work contradictions. In contrast, families under the Rigid model used an inflexible management style that led to chaos and ineffective handling of household work contradictions. This chapter specifies the nature and duration of household work management strategies negotiated and used by couples. It aims to ascertain families' management style, to identify couples' interaction style, and to describe strategies used by families in overcoming household work contradictions. Families under the Trade-off model were prepared to try different ways of managing their three-job households. They were willing to change their ends if their means were constrained.
