Household and Family Work and Health

Abstract

This chapter provides the first comprehensive review of findings from studies using the recently developed questionnaire measuring effort-reward imbalance (ERI) in unpaid household and family work. First, we outline the relevance of stress related to household and family work for public health, and we describe the development of the modified questionnaire. Using data of a population-based study with 3129 women of underage children we subsequently report psychometric properties of our adopted ERI-instrument, including a short scale measuring over-commitment in domestic work. Then, we will consider whether effort-reward imbalance in domestic work is associated with impaired health among mothers. Based on the assumption that women’s intensity of stress experience in the homemaking role varies according to structural conditions, we explore the impact of distinct socio-economic and family conditions on ERI in household and family work. Finally, we discuss whether and to what extent the relationship between education and health is mediated by ERI in household and family work, thus contributing to the explanation of health inequalities in women. The chapter ends with a set of policy-directed recommendations on how to reduce the burden of domestic work and with some suggestions for further research.