Patriarchy has been a major feature of the traditional Yoruba society from the time immemorial. Patriarchy is a structure of a set of social relation with material base which enables men to dominate women. There are clearly defined sex roles. Traditionally men do not participate in domestic work including child rearing such tasks are considered to be the exclusive domain of women. Recent studies on the family, particularly in the developed countries have paid considerable attention to the household division of labour. Many studies have examined the relationship between the involvement of women in paid work and their husbands' task sharing in the household. Most of this attention has been based on the assumption (and the hope) that increased levels of economic activity for married women would lead to some change in the traditional distribution of household labour. Some studies have found a relationship between the wife's employment and her husband's family work and a relationship has also been found between the wife's income and her husband's participation in household chores. In recent years Yoruba women have been entering the labour force in large numbers. The interest in this paper is to examine the contemporary practices in the Yoruba families.

The significance and importance of the study lies in the fact that sexual equality in the area of gender roles and responsibilities is one of the tenets of the women's liberation movement. Division of labour in these areas has been important to the movement because it is perceived as a major stumbling block to career equality for men and women. The null hypotheses tested in the paper are: (i) that there is no significant variations in the daily activities of women and men; (ii) that there is no relationship between the wife's employment and income and her husband's participation in the household chores; and (iii) that there is no significant differences in the working women and men physical well being.

Variables used in the analysis include: socio-economic variables, responsibilities and roles within the domestic units, daily activities and physical well-being information. The data are analyzed using statistical methods which include ratios, percentages, correlation, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and paired sample‘t' test statistical techniques. Policy implications of the findings are highlighted in the paper.