Household Labor Research Articles

The impact of urban integration on the intention of settlement and residence among migrants: The empirical evidence from China

Promoting urban integration is the key to improving the efficiency of labor allocation in developing countries and promoting coordinated regional development. Using the data of the migrants' observation sample in 2012–2017 released by China Migrants Dynamic Survey, this paper draws on theories related to urban integration and labor migration to study the urban integration status, intention of settlement and residence in China's agricultural household labor force in depth, as well as the correlation between the two. The study finds a significant decline in the intention of settlement and a gradual increase in the intention of residence among the migrants. The empirical regressions suggest that good urban integration, especially psychological integration, mainly contributes to their intention of settlement and residence, while the intention of residence is also more influenced by the social and economic integration dimensions. The mediating effect tests reveal that income level and housing stability are key pathways to economic integration, public medical participation and accessibility to medical services are key pathways to health integration, social status and local attachment are key pathways to social integration, and identity affiliation and psychological assimilation are key pathways to psychological integration. Future urbanization in developing countries requires not only further reform of the household registration system but also government, business, and social organizations at all levels to reduce the difficulties of urban integration in economic, health, social, and psychological aspects, enhance the degree of urban integration of the migrants, increase the intention of the migrants to settle and stay in different places and avoid the "migratory bird" migration of labor between regions. The "migratory bird" migration between regions is avoided.

Some Solutions to Reduce Educational Inequality between Urban and Rural In Vietnam

Education is given special attention by the Vietnamese government. People from all socio-economic classes are given opportunities to participate in learning. However, due to differences in natural, economic and social conditions, educational inequality between urban and rural areas still exists. This research is based on the Household Living Standards Survey Report, Statistical Yearbook, Labor and Employment Survey Report, Population Change and Family Planning Survey Report, and other official reports of General Statistics Office of Vietnam. Analysis results show that there is still inequality in opportunities to access and complete education, in spending on education and getting high-income jobs post education between urban and rural areas. Based on these analysis results, this article proposes some solutions to reduce educational inequality between urban and rural regions in Vietnam.

Closed doors: Domestic space, household labor, and the reproduction of gender inequality in the pandemic lockdown

Closed doors: Domestic space, household labor, and the reproduction of gender inequality in the pandemic lockdown

Default property rules for same-gender marriages: equivalence over equality?

Abstract More and more jurisdictions accept that marriage should be open for all couples, both different and same gender. While this identical application of marriage as an institution is not open for debate, differences between same-gender couples and different-gender couples may have some value as to the precise content of marital property rules. Existing research finds that same-gender couples better represent the modern-day relationship model of equal role distribution, as they pursue a more egalitarian division of household labour and a greater individualization of finances than different-gender couples. Nevertheless, marital property rules have exclusively been shaped by the perspective of and inequalities experienced by (traditional) different-gender couples. The resulting heteronormative rules impose a degree of solidarity and protection that same-gender couples may not desire or need. Through 12 interviews, we carry out a first step in exploring the patrimonial wishes and needs of same-gender couples. We find that multiple interviewees prefer more autonomy during their relationship, while there is a preference to share assets upon a break-up or divorce. Consequently, we argue that a separation-based regime with a participation in the assets accumulated during the relationships offers a more appropriate property regime for same-gender couples than a community-based regime. While additional research is essential, the current findings could already offer arguments in further refining the current default regime for all married couples.

‘It’s a Man’s Job’: Doing Gender and Male Gatekeeping in the Division of Household Labor

Changes to domestic divisions of labor have been widely documented, but some tasks seem particularly resistant to change. Using the lens of ‘doing gender’, this article draws on interviews with 25 heterosexual working parent British couples who produced a ‘household portrait’ of their division of labor. It examines how they explain men’s continuing responsibility for ‘man-typed’ domestic tasks and why this is so resistant to change. Although men’s ‘gatekeeping’ of these tasks is consequential for the overall household division of labor, there is relatively little opposition from their women partners. This gatekeeping reproduces gendered meanings of ‘man-typed’ tasks and enables both men and women to ‘do gender’ while supporting their image of a ‘sharing’ couple.

Job Loss and Household Labor Supply Adjustments in Developing Countries: Evidence from Argentina

Abstract Using longitudinal data for Argentina, this paper estimates the labor supply reaction of spouses and children, as well as the interactions between them, following the job loss of their husband or father. The findings show that job loss by the household head has a positive and significant impact on the labor supply of other household members. However, it increases the likelihood of spouses to switch to informal and downgraded employment, and of children to drop out from education. While effects are stronger among vulnerable households, coverage of social security does not provide enough support in coping with unemployment shocks. Mothers’ labor participation, however, may allow their daughters to continue their education.

Factors Affecting the Rice Yield During the Rainy Season Among Farmers in Southeastern Cambodia

A research study utilized the Cobb-Douglas production function to examine the elements influencing paddy production during the wet season in three rural provinces of Cambodia. This analysis was based on data gathered from a survey of farmers’ households conducted in 2022. The study discovered that the use of fertilizers and herbicides, the size of the family, and income from off-farm sources significantly impacted the output of wet-season paddy. A one percent increase in the use of fertilizer, herbicide, and family size resulted in an increase in rice output by 0.06 percent, 0.04 percent, and 0.05 percent respectively. Furthermore, a one percent increase in the age of the household head, hired labor, and off-farm income led to an increase in rice yield by 0.08 percent, 0.11 percent, and 0.05 percent respectively. The use of seeds, pesticides, household labor, and the education level of the household heads were found to enhance rice yields in southeastern Cambodia. However, these production relationships varied significantly across different regions. The study concluded that higher yields during the rainy season improved the effectiveness of paddy production, primarily due to the increased responsiveness to fertilizer application.

Housework Reallocation between Genders and Generations during China’s COVID-19 Lockdowns: Patterns & Reasons

This paper examines housework reallocation during China’s stringent pandemic lockdowns in 2020, where individuals were homebound and job-free while employment status remained unchanged. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, it analyzes 1669 surveys and 100 interviews to understand changes in domestic labor patterns and the underlying reasons. The findings indicate that men increased their participation in grocery shopping but decreased in cooking, cleaning, and laundry during the lockdown. This gender-task pattern was mirrored in multi-generational households, where younger family members often took on these tasks. The reasons articulated for these shifts predominantly converged around the ‘doing gender’ theory. Women, particularly those working full-time, had more time to engage in household chores. Men, while also having more available time, predominantly focused on grocery shopping, a task that gained masculine connotations during the lockdown. Factors such as perceived differences in household labor quality, difficulty delegating housework, and reduced workload led to women’s increased involvement and specialization in domestic tasks. The study challenges the notion that economic factors are the primary drivers of gender-based division of housework. Instead, it suggests that ingrained gender norms continue to dictate domestic roles, as evidenced during the lockdown period devoid of usual economic and time pressures.

The Formation of Rural’s Labor Migration in Rural-Coastal of Aceh, Indonesia: Do Land-Factor or Other Household Characteristics Matters

As in other Indonesian provinces, Aceh is also experiencing demographic changes due to migration patterns. However, the migration rate in Aceh is not much significant in number compared to other provinces in Indonesia. As shown in the findings of this study. In the post-conflict and post-tsunami period, migration patterns in Aceh more influenced by economic factors. Moreover, the agricultural sector that dominates the structure of the regional GDP of Aceh unfortunately tends to decline every year in percentage and not so promising for rural household income and prompted the agricultural labour force to move to the non-agricultural sector and induces rural-urban migration. The study aims to assess the effects of land factors (agriculture) on individual migration decisions in households in four coastal villages in Bireuen district of Aceh. The research approach is the theory of economic migration. The method of analysis used in this study is statistically-descriptive and multiple linear regression analysis, to assess whether land ownership has a significant impact on the labour’s migration behaviour. In the findings of study, we found the relationship of land factor to migration pattern are both induce the “cost of opportunity” and the “hinder factor”. While land ownership does not significantly affect the likelihood of migration, other factors do. These include age, household size, composition of the household labour force, and poverty levels. This study are expected to cover the gaps in the literature on the migration and rural development studies in both Aceh and Indonesia.

Comparing health service usage of migrant groups in Australia: Evidence from the household income and labour dynamics survey of Australia

PurposeWe explored differences in primary and secondary health care usage across migrants from different regions in Australia. Design/methodology/approachData comes from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia survey from waves 9, 13, and 17 (2009, 2013, and 2017). Zero inflated Poisson regressions and non-linear decompositions were estimated. FindingsYounger women from South Asia, Latin America and Eastern and Southern Europe and younger men from Eastern and Southern Europe had lower rates of GP visits compared to the host population. Older African men have higher rates of nights in hospital and younger Eastern and Southern European women, older women from the Rest of Asia, and younger African men and women have lower rates of nights in hospital compared to the host population OriginalityThis is the first paper to investigate differences in primary and service usage amongst immigrants across the life course. Our results have important implications for planning of health service resources. Practical implicationsMigrants are a heterogenous group and health policy needs to consider these differences to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of service provision.

The effect of informal caring on mental health among adolescents and young adults in Australia: a population-based longitudinal study

Young carers are people aged up to 25 years who provide unpaid care to a relative or a friend living with a long-term condition or a disability. Providing informal care is associated with poor mental health. Longitudinal evidence on this relationship among young people is scarce. To address this gap, we assessed the mental health of people aged 15-25 years when providing informal care compared with when not providing informal care. We conducted a population-based longitudinal study using 20 years of data between 2001 and 2020 from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. We included observations of participants aged 15-25 years with at least two observations across 20 waves of HILDA. Informal care was categorised as 0 h per week, 1-19 h per week, and 20 or more h per week. Mental health was measured using the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) from the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36). Multivariate linear fixed-effects regression models were fitted to assess within-person changes in mental health when providing different levels of informal care. Of 44 663 people with 410 658 observations who participated in HILDA waves 1 to 20, 32 726 were excluded with 351 445 observations. 11 937 young people (with 59 213 observations) were deemed eligible for this study and, of these, 8996 participants with 43 231 observations were included in the complete case analytical sample. When caring for 1-19 h per week, young carers had an MHI-5 score of -1·98 points (95% CI -3·06 to -0·89) compared with when caring for 0 h per week. Mental health was worse when caring for 20 or more h per week, with participants displaying an MHI-5 score of -3·47 points (95% CI -6·02 to -0·92) compared with when caring for 0 h per week. Our findings were consistent across sensitivity tests. Our findings suggest potential mental health effects of informal care in young people, particularly when providing an intense amount of caregiving. Reducing young caring loads could be a possible avenue for intervention. Melbourne Disability Institute Scholarship, University of Melbourne Research Training Program Scholarship, Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award, National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia funded Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health.

Exploring gender disparities in unpaid household care labor: A mixed-methods study from rural South India

Background: Worldwide women spend 4.5 h daily on unpaid work while men spend about half of that time. Aims and Objectives: The aims and objectives of the study are to estimate the time spent by both men and women on the various types of unpaid care labor and to determine the economic estimates of unpaid labor. Materials and Methods: An embedded study (descriptive cross-sectional along with qualitative component) was conducted for a period of 3 months in 2020 in the rural area of a tertiary care medical institution in South India. 360 study participants of 15–60 years were recruited using simple random sampling and inquired for the time spent on care activities. Cumulative hours spent per year and its economic estimate was calculated using Oxfam global care calculator. Results: Female participants did significantly higher hours of unpaid care (3596.5 h) as compared to male participants (2938.3 h) (P < 0.05). Economic estimates of unpaid care per year were significantly higher (INR 103641.8) for females as compared to males (INR 84610) (P < 0.005). The reasons for gender-based disparity were patriarchy, perception of redundancy, male chauvinism, and absence of self-realization. Conclusion: The policymakers and administrators should develop policies which recognize, reduce, redistribute, and represent unpaid labor work.

On Household Labour Supply in Sticky-Wage HANK models

On Household Labour Supply in Sticky-Wage HANK models

Culture of Origin, Parenting, and Household Labor Supply

Culture of Origin, Parenting, and Household Labor Supply

Effect of poverty alleviation relocation on non-farm employment of household labor force and its mechanism:Based on the analysis of 7th-phase tracking data of 857 farmers in the poverty-stricken areas of Wuling Mountain

Effect of poverty alleviation relocation on non-farm employment of household labor force and its mechanism:Based on the analysis of 7th-phase tracking data of 857 farmers in the poverty-stricken areas of Wuling Mountain

Association between sanitary toilets and health poverty vulnerability among rural western Chinese adults aged 45 years and older: A cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to investigate the association between sanitary toilets and health poverty vulnerability among rural western Chinese adults aged 45 years and older. Using data from the 'Rural Household Health Inquiry Survey' conducted in 2022, a three-stage feasible generalized least squares method was employed to calculate health poverty vulnerability. Propensity score matching (PSM) and mediation effect analysis were used to assess the association between sanitary toilets and health poverty vulnerability among rural western Chinese adults aged 45 years and older and the mechanisms underlying this impact. This study revealed that the use of sanitary toilets was significantly associated with decreased health poverty vulnerability in adults over 45 years of age. Heterogeneity analysis revealed that this effect was more pronounced among males (β = -0.0375, P<0.05), those aged 60-74 years (β = -0.0476, P<0.05), and households with middle income (β = -0.0590, P<0.01). Mediation effect analysis identified total household income (a×b = -0.0233, P<0.05), household size (a×b = -0.0181, P<0.01), number of household laborers (a×b = -0.0107, P<0.01), and registered poor households (a×b = -0.0081, P<0.01) as the mediating factors between sanitary toilets and health poverty vulnerability. The provision of sanitary toilets has been instrumental in mitigating health-related poverty among middle-aged and elderly people residing in rural areas. By improving household livelihood capital, the vulnerability of these individuals to health-related poverty can be significantly reduced.

Farmer Insights Regarding Zero Tillage Systems Against Weeds in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia

A large amount of literature has now proven that Zero Tillage (ZT) as a part of Conservation Agriculture-based Sustainable Intensification (CASI) practices has the potential to help smallholder farmers in the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) of South Asia transition to more productive, profitable, and sustainable production systems. Despite this, changes in weed management under ZT are commonly identified as a constraint to wider adoption, based primarily on quantitative investigations. Yet the contribution of this to farmers’ evaluation and adoption behaviour remains underexplored. To address this issue, we explore farmers’ perceptions of CASI-based herbicide weed management systems using semi-structured interviews from six locations across the EGP. This study identifies a divergence in experiences with herbicides, both geographically (with Sunsari and Bihar more negative than other locations) and in terms of user typologies (where users are overwhelmingly positive, and non-users are overwhelmingly negative). This divergence suggests that an information void exists that has the potential to contribute strongly to the negative evaluation of CASI, as well as potentially negative changes in household labour dynamics. To overcome this, promotional efforts should target education and training programs that address how to effectively spray, potentially with increased emphasis on use of weather forecasting. This would ensure equitable outcomes for household members, and increased interest and use of CASI could be promoted. South Asian J. Agric., Vol. 9, No.1&amp;2, 2022-‘23: 52-63

Minimum tillage as climate-smart agriculture practice and its impact on food and nutrition security.

Minimum tillage (MT) is a sustainable farming practice that limit soil disturbance only to planting stations while leaving the rest of the soil undisturbed. It is an important component of conservation agriculture, which aims to raise agricultural productivity, improve the livelihoods of farmers and build resilient farming systems. Despite the growing empirical literature on its adoption and benefits, there is a paucity of empirical evidence on the heterogeneous effect of length of MT adoption on household welfare. This study uses plot-level and household data combined with geo-referenced historical weather data to provide microeconomic evidence of the impact of MT on maize yields, food and nutrition security, and farm labor demand in Ghana. We account for potential selection bias and omitted variable problems by using an ordered probit selection model to estimate two transition-specific treatment effects: from conventional tillage systems to short-term MT adoption and from short-term to long-term MT adoption. The empirical results show that longer cropping seasons of MT adoption significantly increases maize yields and dietary diversity by about 4.33% and 14.22%, respectively, and decreases household food insecurity and labor demand by 42.31% and 11.09%, respectively. These findings highlight the necessity of developing and implementing programs that promote and help smallholder farmers to sustain its adoption for longer cropping season.

GENDER AND HOUSEWORK IN THE POSTRETIREMENT CONTEXT

Abstract In recent years, social scientists have noted an uptick in “unretirement” of older adults as a large number of retirees have reentered the labor force. Not only do older Americans’ labor-force reentry have implications for our economy as a whole, this also raises important questions regarding the social and interpersonal relationships within households. Specifically, women, compared to men, might be disproportionately subject to work-family conflicts, due to the gendered expectation that women take primary responsibility for household labor. In this study, we examine 758 American couples aged 65 and above from the 2005-2019 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) core survey and the supplemental Consumption and Activities Mail Survey. We examine whether and to what extent couple’s retirement and re-entry into the labor force correspond with changes in the distribution of household labor. Specifically, we expect that while both men and women shift their household labor contributions in accordance to changes in their formal work statuses, changes in men’s contributions are attenuated relative to women’s. The results show that while both male and female retirees spend more time housework when their spouses work, women tend to perform more housework when they re-enter the labor force whereas men’s contributions decline significantly upon their re-entry. These patterns are increasingly evident from the analysis focused on routine tasks, typically done by women. These results highlight how gender ideological scripts can frame relational contributions and expectations as well as their persistence despite shifts in economic contributions to the household.

Factors Affecting Sericulture Groups Decision Making on Career Sustaining in The Queen Sirikit Regional Office of Sericulture3, Khon Kaen Province

Background and Aims: The occupation of agriculture has been closely associated with the Thai people for a long time. The cultivation of mulberry and sericulture have become alternative professions for Thai farmers. However, the number of individuals engaged in this profession is decreasing daily. This is due to the impact of borderless communication, the emergence of a new era of trade, and environmental changes, all of which affect farmers' livelihoods. The objective of this research was to study 1) The situation of mulberry cultivation and sericulture in the responsibility area of the Mulberry Cultivation Promotion Office, Region 3, which includes Khon Kaen Province. 2) The adaptation of farmers to economic, social, political, and technological changes. 3)Factors influencing the career decisions of the group of farmers. Methodology: The research methodology used is a mixed-method approach, with a sample group consisting of members engaged in mulberry and sericulture cultivation in six provinces: Chaiyaphum, Kalasin, Roi Et, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, and Khon Kaen, totaling 361 individuals. The research tools used include questionnaires and group interviews. Statistical analysis methods used include averages, percentages, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The study found that most mulberry and sericulture farmers primarily rely on household labor and typically own less than five rai of land. Many face challenges related to water availability for mulberry cultivation, with some areas experiencing insufficient water for adequate mulberry growth. There is a willingness among these farmers to adopt technological advancements in production and product processing with the assistance of government knowledge transfer initiatives. They also work to reduce unnecessary costs and collaborate in market negotiations. Factors influencing career decisions include personality traits, knowledge, understanding, and perception of the profession, job stability in mulberry and sericulture cultivation, quality of life, production/system management, land area used for cultivation, increasing age of farmers, succession planning, and participation in farmer groups. Conclusion: Most mulberry and sericulture farmers are the main household laborers, have an area of no more than 5 rai/household, have problems with water and dryness, and try to adapt to technology and receive assistance from the government. Factors affecting the decision to maintain a career include personality traits, knowledge, job stability, quality of life, production system, growing area, age, occupational succession, and joining groups for market bargaining.