Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered how people spend time, with possible consequences for subjective well-being. Using diverse samples from the United States, Canada, Denmark, Brazil, and Spain (n = 31,141), following a preregistered analytic plan, and employing both mega- and meta-analyses, we find consistent gender differences in time spent on necessities. During the pandemic, women-especially mothers-spent more time on tasks such as childcare and household chores. To the extent that women spent more time on chores than men, they reported lower happiness. These data represent one of the most rigorous investigations of gender differences in time use during the forced lockdowns created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and point toward individual differences that should be considered when designing policies now and post-COVID-19.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered how people spend time, with possible consequences for subjective wellbeing
We examined whether any observed time-use differences predict differences in subjective well-being (SWB)
To explore the question of how people are spending their time, and whether and how time use is shaping SWB during COVID19, we implemented nine surveys between mid-March and midJune 2020, including nationally representative surveys of respondents living in the United States (n = 441) and Canada (n = 840), working parents living in the United States (n = 401), public sector workers living in Spain (n = 975), employed adults working from home in the United States (n = 1,518), Brazil (n = 21,874), and globally (n = 935), college students from Denmark (n = 3,233), and college students primarily studying in the United States (n = 924)
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered how people spend time, with possible consequences for subjective wellbeing. To the extent that women spent more time on chores than men, they reported lower happiness These data represent one of the most rigorous investigations of gender differences in time use during the forced lockdowns created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and point toward individual differences that should be considered when designing policies and post–COVID-19. Recent estimates from the Gallup organization [12] suggest that the average number of days that people around the world have worked from home has more than doubled during the pandemic as compared with autumn 2019 This has likely resulted in many households having both household members working from home which should, in theory, equalize or at least reduce the gender gap in time spent on necessities between mothers and fathers. We might expect individuals to engage in more (vs. less) active leisure and to exhibit greater self-reported happiness as a result of this increase in leisure activities [see Smeets et al [11] for a similar argument]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
