division of labor

American  

[dih-vizh-uhn uhv ley-ber] / dɪˈvɪʒ ən əv ˈleɪ bər /

noun

Economics.

1. a production process in which a worker or group of workers is assigned a specialized task in order to increase efficiency.

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division of labor Cultural  

1. Dividing a job into many specialized parts, with a single worker or a few workers assigned to each part. Division of labor is important to mass production.

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Etymology

Origin of division of labor

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

division of labor

And while I could rant about the division of labor and parenting when it comes to different-sex couples, I actually don’t think gender has anything to do with your problem.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

There are many reasons that the division of labor among siblings won’t be equal.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

The division of labor in a marriage often results in one person handling the banking, subscriptions, passwords and more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 28, 2026

Reduced armor may go hand in hand with other helpful social traits, including cooperative foraging, shared nest defense, and division of labor, all of which tend to become more pronounced as colonies grow.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 22, 2025

Part of the new production method’s genius was its division of labor into unskilled tasks.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides