International Indexed & Referred Research Journal, April, 2012. ISSN- 0974-2832, RNI-RAJBIL 2009/29954; VoL.

IV * ISSUE-39

Research Paper -Sociology

Household Management Role Adjustments done by Recently Married Working Women after Marriage
* Dr. Jagdeep Kaur ** Dr. Amarjeet Singh *** Dr. Jayanti Dutta
April , 2012

* Project Manager, UNICEF, School of Public Health, P.G. Inst. of Medical Edn.& Research Chandigarh **Prof. of Community Medicine, School of Public Health, P.G. Inst. of Medical Edn. & Research Chandigarh *** Deputy Director, Academic Staff College, Panjab University, Chandigarh Marriage is one of the oldest human institutions surviving through ages and still doing fine. It is one of those primary relationships which give rise to a family. Marriage has undergone tremendous change over thousands of years but still it is an established social structure for a primary relationship between a man and a woman based on equality and shared bonding. It is also a defining point from the viewpoint of demography, fertility, lifestyle changes, and psychological, emotional and economic upheavals for both male and female partners. However, it goes without saying that the change in a woman's life due to the event of marriage is more drastic than that of a man. This requires adjustment and compromise by a married woman in her life. There may be a check on their physical, psychological, financial, social and religious independence. This can leave a working woman stressed and anxious; more so if the family is not supportive. Keeping in mind the change in status of women, this study was planned to explore the adjustments that recently married working women (RMWW) make after marriage. Material and methods This cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken from Jan 2010 to April 2010. Purposive sampling was done. 100 working women who had been married for 1-3 years and working in schools, colleges, banks and various offices in Chandigarh, India were chosen to interview. Pre-tested/ pilot tested questionnaire sought demographic details of the respondents along with their responsibilities at in-laws home. Questions were included about adjustments made after marriage. Tabulation and statistical frequency distributions with percentage and mean were manually calculated. Consent of the respondents was duly taken. Results and Discussion Out of 157 women contacted the desired sample size of 100 were obtained. All were graduates (77% with post graduate degree) and aged 25-30 years. Majority (62%) of the respondents lived in a joint family. Women living in joint families get advantage of division of labor and psychological security. But on the other hand they have to face lack of privacy, quarrels, and restrictions on outdoor activities etc. There is usually a difference between liability of domestic chores before marriage and after marriage. In the present study, it was observed that on all the counts the load of household chores had increased after marriage (Table 1). See Table 1 The maximum enhancement of work load was seen in cooking and washing clothes. This situation reflects rigid gender stereotypes in Indian society where males generally are not prepared to share the household responsibilities. The womens' responsibilities outside the home had not relieved them of responsibilities within a family. Our findings are in consonance with another study by Aleem and Danish (2008) who reported that the women who have paid employment outside the home still have to assume the primary responsibility for domestic work. Majority of the respondents (60%) felt that both hus-

Table 1: Comparison of domestic chores performed by respondents before and after marriage Variable Number (Percentage) Number (Percentage) Nature of work (n=100) Before marriage After marriage Cleaning / mopping 38 43 Dusting 66 68 Washing clothes 39 71 Washing dishes 53 64 Cooking 72 97 Knitting / sewing (n=88) 15 (17%) 19 (22%) Marketing / groceries (n=91) 39 (43%) 47 (52%)

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International Indexed & Referred Research Journal, April, 2012. ISSN- 0974-2832, RNI-RAJBIL 2009/29954; VoL. IV * ISSUE-39

Table 2: Adjustments in household management roles and responsibilities done by respondents at in-laws place Variable Percentage Kind of roles given by Mother-In-Law (MIL) at home (n=78) Managing the house 27 Managing the kitchen 44 Managing house, kitchen and purchasing 28 Managing expenses 0 Dealing with relatives 0 All 1 How much of monetary household management is done by you? (n=100) All 14 Most of it 15 A little 46 None 25 Menu decided by (n=100) Self 50 Mother-in-law 29 Others 21 Overall management of kitchen is done by (n=100) Self 43 Mother-in-law 49 Others 8 band and wife have to make adjustments after marriage her to prove her efficiency. Our findings confirmed and 36% said that only wife has to do so. 78% of the those of Nonso et al. (2008) who observed that profesrespondents made following adjustments after mar- sional women had to make preparations at night for the riage (Table 2). next day. Thus, women are usually over burdened with Most of the women were assigned certain roles and dual duties. It is very difficult to balance family and jobs responsibilities regarding household management by which needs good skills. their mother-in-laws after marriage. No power roles Conclusion were given to her as important decisions were taken by Most of the RMWW were expected to fulfill her mother-in-law. None of the respondents was as- responsibilities of looking after their family but did not signed the duty of managing expenses and dealing have full control to manage homes. with relatives. Thus women are not completely free Recommendations from the holds of the customs. The household duties Family and spousal support may help RMWW adjust expected to be done by the women were such that better at in-laws place. Their involvement in family needed to keep her thought process on in the house as matters and decision making can help them to attain well as at her work place where again it is mandatory for equal status in the family.

R E F E R E N C E
1. Aleem S. and Danish L. April 2008. 2. Marital Satisfaction and Anxiety among Single and Dual Career Women. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, Vol. 34: 141-144. 3. Nonso B., Pauline E. and Uche A., 2008. 4. Professional Women's Adjustment Patterns towards Spouses' Attitude to Their Jobs. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 5(8): 751-754

SHODH, SAMIKSHA

AUR

MULYANKAN

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