Changes in the Division of Housework among Married Couples in Taiwan

• In Event: 054 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 02. Domestic and Reproductive Labor

Abstract

Based on longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Family Dynamics, this study will examine changes in the division of housework over time and the factors that are related to these changes. There are two main questions to be answered. First, how much overall change is there in the division of housework among married persons in Taiwan over time? Second, we would like to examine the effects of relative working hours and economic dependence on changes in the division of housework over time.
In this study, we used data from the Panel Study of Family Dynamics. This data set allows us to examine changes in the division of housework for three cohorts of married couples in Taiwan. The oldest cohort was born between 1935 and 1954, the second cohort was born between 1953 and 1964, and the youngest cohort was born between 1964 and 1976. The analytical strategy used in this study was the growth curve modeling that allows us to examine trajectories of changes in the division of housework.
The present findings indicate there was no significant change in married men’s housework over time, whereas there was a cubic relationship between time and married women’s housework. Also, relative working hours and economic dependence were associated with changes in the division of housework over time. The longitudinal data from these three cohorts support the ideas of time availability and dependency model that one’s working hours and economic dependence are associated with his or her amount and share of housework.

Author

• Ying-Ling Hsiao, Fu-Jen Catholic University