Gender Dynamics in Domestic Labour: Understanding Housework Distribution Among Older Couples in South Korea


Kamila Kolpashnikova, Western University

Our paper examines the interplay between different family models and the allocation of domestic chores among senior couples. We use data from the 2019 Korean Time Use Survey to investigate the proportion of housework undertaken by wives in four distinct family models: dual-income, traditional (with the husband as the sole earner), wife as the primary earner, and retired couples, where at least one partner was 65 years old or older (analytic sample size: 1,564). The findings reveal a consistent pattern of uneven housework distribution in senior couples, with wives contributing over 70% of total domestic chores in every family model. Notably, in families where the wife is the breadwinner, her share of housework was markedly less compared to dual-income households. This suggests that retired husbands, in scenarios where their wives are still employed, allocate a portion of their leisure time to household duties. The study also highlights that economic factors, such as income, and gender ideologies have a marginal impact on the division of housework among senior couples. In contrast, health stands out as a significant factor in how retired couples divide domestic responsibilities. Partners in these couples tend to undertake more household chores when their significant others report poor health.

Non-presenting author: Seung-Eun Cha, Suwon

This paper will be presented at the following session: