The pandemic has not just transformed the workplace. When Covid-19 made companies across look at moving workspaces into homes by accelerating the acceptance for work-from-home, they probably didn’t realize that they would end up transforming households as well by narrowing the gender chore gap.
Avtar’s Viewport 2021 study titled ‘Chore Division & Dynamics at Indian homes: An exploratory research during COVID times’ has turned the spotlight on the paradigm shift at homes. The study has
revealed that almost 35% of men have begun contributing more time to household activities after the pandemic. Another interesting finding is the 22% increase in the number of men who spend four to five hours in household chores, which is a clear sign that men are getting involved in the housework.
It indicates that when the men in the families start to spend more time at home, they become more aware and sensitive towards the work that women do in managing homes, and it motivates them to become
active partners who share the load. With responses from 303 people- men and women- across Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z categories and employment status, the study has focused on how family members contribute to the 3Cs – cooking,
cleaning, and caregiving during COVID times.
Chore share differs
The findings show that the degree of involvement in chores varies between groups. 64% of all the respondents who are employed full-time and have partners who are employed full-time (dual-income
couples), report unequal distribution of time in doing household chores. In the case of women respondents with full-time employment, a whopping 71% of them say that they spend more time than their full-time employed partners in household chores. Irrespective of the employment status, the onus of performing household chores is on women.
However, gender dynamics have shifted -22% of female respondents with full-time employed partners report equal time-share (2-5 hours) of housework with partners.
The study also shows that among Gen Y or millennial couples, at least 83% spend equal time (2-3 hours) in household chores with their partners. However, only 56% of Gen X, who spend 2-3 hours in
household activities, reported equal sharing with their partners. It is evident that the married Gen Y population is more aware and understanding of the demands of household work and is ready to share the load with their partner and hold egalitarian views when compared to Gen X.
It is still a woman’s job
However, indicating that household chores are still a woman’s responsibility, the study has found that as many as 85% of the women respondents, who have been on a career break with full-time
employed partners, have to do the majority of the household chores. 20% of women on career breaks spend more than 6 hours in housework. The trends are similar for self-employed women (88% share unequal time) and those not employed (75% share unequal time). Intriguingly, none of the women respondents in any of
the above categories spend 0-1 hour in housework.
The home environment defines roles
-Just about 2% of married men spend more than 3 hours in household activities, in contrast to 45% of women who do the same.
-At least 91% of the respondents with children claim that household chores are not divided based on gender
-In joint families, 52% of men either spend no time or less than an hour in housework. In nuclear families, 54% of men spend 2-3 hours in housework
-Around 64% of respondents belonging to joint families report that chore division among children is based on gender, 36% of the respondents from nuclear families believed in the same
The study also aims to give a direction to organizations and decision-makers of the country to steer campaigns towards societal equity and accelerate the journey of gender-inclusive growth.
