Gender differences in housework and childcare among Japanese workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT

ObjectivesAlthough gender stereotypes regarding paid work and unpaid work are changing, most wives are responsible for taking care of the family and home in Japan. It is unclear how time spent on housework and childcare has changed between working men and women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. The purpose of this study is to investigate how working men and womens responsibilities for housework and childcare changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan depending on occupation, job type, and the number of employees in the workplace. MethodsA cross-sectional analysis (N=14,454) was conducted using data from an internet monitoring study (CORoNa Work Project), which was conducted in December 2020. A multilevel logistic model with nested prefectures of residence was conducted to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for change in time devoted to housework and childcare among men and women adjusting for age, household income, frequency of telecommuting, presence of spouse who work, occupation, job type, the number of employees in the workplace, and the incidence rate of COVID-19 by prefecture. ResultsRegardless of occupation related factors, more women than men reported increased time spent on housework and childcare. Furthermore, women were significantly more likely to experience an increase in time spent on those activities than men (housework OR 1.97, 95% CI [1.75, 2.21], p < 0.001; childcare OR 1.66, 95% CI [1.37, 2.02], p < 0.001). ConclusionsThe time spent by women on housework and childcare increased significantly compared to men during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.