Girls’ Participation in Family Life: An Intergenerational Perspective on Domestic Socialization and Associated Impact on Psycho-social Wellbeing

Abstract

In the recent decades, the role of women has substantially changed in the societies across the world. This seems to have a reciprocal impact on socialization practices and domestic participation of girls. The focus of this study is to understand the changes in domestic socialization that inculcate girls’ participation in household chores; and the impact of this participation on their psycho-social wellbeing. The research informants are girls between ages 18-24 years and their mothers between ages 40-57 years. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to examine the interview transcripts and identify themes. Eight major themes emerged addressing the two research questions. Concern for mother, sense of responsibility, willingness for chores, modeling, support and appreciation seemed to impact the domestic socialization among girls. The resulting participation in household chores appeared to impact girl’s psycho-social wellbeing both positively and negatively. Intergenerational changes were also observed in connection with these constructs. These changes were attributed to the transitioning social attitudes within the Pakistani cultural context. This study contributes in explaining the psycho-social construction of a socialization script that seemed to have resulted in the internalization of gender role development and gendered behavior. The findings of this study can be utilized in clinical practice and by the researchers in the field of sociology, social psychology, and clinical psychology.