Disaggregating Housework: An International Comparison of Gendered Segregation of Household Labor

Junya Tsutsui, Ritsumeikan University
Maki Takeuchi, Ritsumeikan University

Most studies on the division of household labor aggregate various types of housework and estimate the differences between wives' and husbands' responsibilities. However, the way couples allocate their domestic labor may vary based on the type of housework. This possibility of gendered segregation of housework is investigated from an internationally comparative perspective. We found a marked variation in the way couples allocate their labor to each housework type. Our analysis also suggests that gendered segregation of housework varies in different societies, indicating national variations in cultural meaning of housework. Another important finding is that the different ways of allocating domestic labor to each housework type do not change much depending on different working hours of wives. This suggests towards an alternative explanation that skills needed to produce qualified housework are not so different. Considering the existence of gendered segregation of housework, the latter explanation seems more plausible.