Is Housework Good for Health in Later Life?

• In Event: 40820 - Section on Sociology of Sex and Gender Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 11: Gender & Health

Abstract

While an unequal division of housework is linked to negative mental health outcomes, spending more time on housework has been associated with better physical health in older adults. This suggests that women’s disproportionate domestic labor burden serves both as a gendered disadvantage and a potential health benefit. However, using data from the Consumption and Activities Mail Survey of the Health and Retirement Study, we found that, at the population level, the observed relationship between total housework hours and self-rated health, functional limitations, cognitive functioning, and mortality becomes nonsignificant when accounting for physical activity levels and prior health. Furthermore, even when examining specific household tasks, the health benefits of housework remain limited, and higher-intensity housework does not consistently yield greater health advantages. Additionally, some chores are surprisingly associated with health declines. In contrast, physical activities such as sports and walking consistently show positive health effects. Consequently, the gendered disparity in domestic labor persists without conferring compensatory health advantages, and housework should not be framed as a meaningful substitute for intentional exercise.

Authors

• Iani Sam, University of Texas at Austin

• Ken-Hou Lin, University of Texas at Austin