Gender differences in child and adolescent daily activities: A cross-national time use study

Pablo Gracia,Tomi Oinas,Joan Garcia-Roman,Timo Anttila

doi:10.1177/00016993211008500

Pablo Gracia, Tomi Oinas + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/00016993211008500

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Abstract

This study used 2009–2015 time-diary data to examine gender differences in daily activities among children and adolescents aged 10–17 in Finland, Spain and the UK ( N = 3517). In all three countries, boys were significantly more involved in screen-based activities and exercising and girls in domestic work, non-screen educational activities and personal care. Gender differences in socializing time were only significant in the UK, with girls socializing more than boys. Gender gaps within countries were largest in domestic work (UK: 60%; Finland: 58%; Spain: 48%) and exercising (UK: 57%; Finland: 36%; Spain: 27%), followed by educational time (UK: 35%; Finland: 34%; Spain: 18%) and screen-based activities (UK: 31%; Finland: 16%; Spain: 16%), and lower in personal care (UK: 27%; Finland: 21%; Spain: 14%) and socializing (UK; 21%; Finland: 13%; Spain: 6%). Two-way country-gender interactions in children’s activities were statistically significant when comparing Spain and the UK on screen-based activities, socializing, and personal care, with larger gender gaps in the UK than in Spain. By contrast, gender differences in child time use between Finland and either Spain or UK were not statistically significant. The complex role of national contexts and life-course stages in shaping gendered time-use patterns is discussed.

Highlights

Time-use patterns remain markedly gendered in contemporary societies, despite progress towards gender equality over recent decades (England, 2010; Goldscheider et al, 2015)
This study has examined gender differences in children’s daily activities from a cross-national perspective
How boys and girls differ in their daily activities across national contexts has to date received very little attention

Summary

Introduction

Time-use patterns remain markedly gendered in contemporary societies, despite progress towards gender equality over recent decades (England, 2010; Goldscheider et al, 2015). Gender differences in child time use were statistically significant (at 95% levels of higher) in all three countries and for all activities, except for socializing, where gender gaps were only statistically significant in the UK (p < 0.05), not in Finland or Spain.

Results

Conclusion