This is an important concept in basic gender analysis that helps deepen understanding about social relations as an entry point to sustainable change through development. The division of labor refers to the way each society divides work among men and women, boys and girls, according to socially-established gender roles or what is considered suitable and valuable for each sex. Anyone planning a community intervention needs to know and understand the division of labor and allocation of assets on a sex-and-age disaggregated basis for every community affected by development interventions. Within the division of labor, there are several types of roles:
Productive roles: Activities carried out by men and women in order to produce goods and services either for sale, exchange, or to meet the subsistence needs of the family.
Reproductive roles: Activities needed to ensure the reproduction of society’s labor force. This includes house work like cleaning, cooking, childbearing, rearing, and caring for family members. These tasks are done mostly by women.
Community managing role: Activities undertaken primarily by women at the community level, as an extension of their reproductive role, to ensure the provision and maintenance of scarce resources of collective consumption such as water, health care and education. This is voluntary unpaid work performed during “free” time.
Community politics role: Activities undertaken primarily by men at the community level, often within the framework of national politics. This officially-recognized leadership role may be paid directly or result in increased power or status.
Triple role:This refers to the fact that women tend to work longer and more fragmented days than men as they are usually involved in three different roles: reproductive, productive and community work.
Hii ni dhana muhimu katika uchambuzi wa msingi wa jinsia ambayo husaidia kuimarisha uelewa wa mahusiano ya kijamii kama hatua ya kuingia kwa mabadiliko endelevu kupitia maendeleo. Mgawanyiko wa kazi ni jinsi jamii inavyotenganisha kazi kati ya wanaume na wanawake, wavulana na wasichana, kulingana na majukumu ya kijinsia yaliyowekwa kijamii au kile kinachochukuliwa kuwa sahihi na muhimu kwa kila jinsia. Mtu yeyote anayepanga uingiliaji wa jamii anahitaji kujua na kuelewa mgawanyiko wa kazi na mgawanyo wa mali kwa msingi wa jinsia na umri kwa kila jamii iliyoathiriwa na uingiliaji wa maendeleo. Katika mgawanyiko wa kazi kuna aina kadhaa za majukumu: Majukumu ya uzalishaji: shughuli zinazofanywa na wanaume na wanawake ili kuzalisha bidhaa na huduma kwa ajili ya kuuza, kubadilishana, au kukidhi mahitaji ya kuishi ya familia. Majukumu ya uzazi: Shughuli zinazohitajika kuhakikisha uzazi wa nguvu za kazi za jamii. Hilo latia ndani kazi za nyumbani kama vile kusafisha, kupika, kuzaa watoto, kulea, na kutunza washiriki wa familia. Kazi hizo hufanywa hasa na wanawake. Usimamizi wa jamii: Shughuli zinazofanywa na wanawake hasa katika ngazi ya jamii, kama upanuzi wa jukumu lao la uzazi, kuhakikisha utoaji na matengenezo ya rasilimali chache za matumizi ya pamoja kama vile maji, huduma za afya na elimu. Hii ni kazi ya hiari isiyo na malipo inayofanywa wakati wa "bure". Kazi ya siasa za jamii: Shughuli zinazofanywa hasa na wanaume katika ngazi ya jamii, mara nyingi ndani ya mfumo wa siasa za kitaifa. Daraka hilo la uongozi linalotambuliwa rasmi laweza kulipwa moja kwa moja au lingeweza kuleta nguvu au cheo cha juu zaidi. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""kazi tatu"" ni kwamba wanawake hufanya kazi kwa muda mrefu na kwa sehemu kuliko wanaume, kwa sababu kwa kawaida wanahusika katika majukumu matatu tofauti: kazi ya uzazi, kazi ya uzalishaji na kazi ya jamii."