SYMBOLIC FUNCTIONS AND SOCIAL MEANINGS OF HOUSEHOLD WORK

• Authors: Klocokova J.
• Languages of publication: SK

Abstracts

EN

Household work has been often seen as a mere technique for fulfilling basic needs of households. This paper questions that reductionism in analysis of domestic activities. By presenting the works of Lévi-Strauss and Douglas the paper focuses on some symbolic properties of the household tasks. It shows how these activities express relations between nature and culture, give information about social categories and their boundaries as well as about exclusion and inclusion of individuals within and outside families. It is proposed that from the point of view of everyday life various social meanings of housework might be revealed. Domestic tasks are thus described as culturally relative activities whose social definition differs among families and phases of family course. In the conclusion it is suggested that such research approach could also contribute to the study of gender aspects of domestic labour.

Keywords

EN

FAMILY; FAMILY COURSE; HOUSEHOLD WORK; SOCIAL MEANINGS

Discipline

• SOCIOLOGY: SOCIOLOGY

• Publisher: Institute of Sociology, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Sociológia (Sociology)
• Year: 2004
• Volume: 36
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 455-472
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Klocokova J.

• J. Klocokova, Sociologický ústav SAV, Klemensova 19, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

05SKAAAA00521334