Cultural values of individual and social responsibility were investigated through
adolescents’ ideas about children’s household work. A total of
4627 adolescents from six countries completed questionnaire items about the age
children should begin chores, the value of children’s participation, and
the appropriateness of payment. Differences were found between countries for all
questions but notably for the question of payment. Adolescents in the USA,
Australia, and Sweden were more likely to support a general payment associated with
children’s household work, whereas adolescents in Bulgaria, the Czech
Republic and Hungary were more likely to oppose payment. All differences interacted
with type of task (self-care and family-care), corresponding to a relative emphasis
on individual and social responsibility.
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