22 Dec 2010

The sharing of household activities still differs greatly between men and women, although the division of unpaid household work is a key aspect in balancing work and family life.

Women spend much more time on household activities than men in all the countries with time use data. The gender gap is largest in Kyrgyzstan and Turkey where women spend on household activities more than three times as much time as men do. Women in those two countries spend about six hours per day taking care of a household. It is the highest level observed in the UNECE region.

On the other hand, in the United States or Netherlands the gender gap is narrower and the unpaid household work takes women less time.

Women also spend more time than men in all activities except gardening, construction and repairs. In all observed countries, the most time-consuming activities for women are food preparation and dish washing. These are also the activities with the largest gender gap.

The division of unpaid work in the household can have an impact on the number of hours in paid work. This can lead to the gender pay gap and the difference in social and economic security between women and men, including differences in old age. Understanding the mechanism behind the sharing of unpaid work between men and women can help reduce this imbalance.

Source:  UNECE Statistical Database, compiled from national official sources