Elston and Rapoport’s studies suggested which of the following about professional wives?

• A. They share equally the main domestic functions.
• B. They do less housework than their husbands.
• C. Their partners do more housework.
• D. They are expected to pick up and do all main domestic functions.

Answer: (D)

The idea here is how domestic labor is socially organized along gender lines. Elston and Rapoport showed that even when wives are professionals and work outside the home, the expectation remains that the wife will take on the majority of the main domestic tasks—cooking, cleaning, laundry, childcare, and running the home. This reflects a persistent norm that the home is primarily the wife’s domain, so she is seen as the one expected to “pick up and do all the main domestic functions.” Consequently, even in dual-income households, men’s contributions tend to be smaller, and the wife carries the main domestic burden. The other options would imply more equality or a reversal in who does more housework, which isn’t what their findings emphasized.