A comparison of the household labor performed by parents and teenage children in single-parent families and dual-parent families

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the impact of differences in family structure and gender on the household labor of parents and teenagers. A total of 16,272 time diaries from the Korean Time Use Survey were used to analyze the influence of family structure and gender on the time spent on housework by parents and teenage children. Results from two-way ANOVA, multiple regression, and logistic regression analysis were as follows. Differences in the hours spent on household management and caring for family members were found based on family structure and gender. Mothers in dual-parent families or multi-local families did more hours of household management work than mothers in single-parent families. The household work hours of fathers in single-parent families differed from those of fathers in multi-local families and dual-parent families. Specifically, single fathers did significantly more housework than fathers in dual-parent families. Gender and family structure and the interaction between them showed significant effects on the household work activities of parents, especially in terms of meal preparation, cleaning, and housing management. Teenage children in single-parent families did more hours of household management work than those in dual-parent families, and a gender gap in the household work of teenage children in single-parent families was found; daughters did more household management work than sons in single-parent families, specifically in terms of meal preparation. For both parents and children of single-parent families, gender was an important factor in determining the time spent on household management. Based on the results, we propose a family policy and public services to alleviate the gender gap in the performance of housework and to support the work-life balance of parents and children in single-parent families.