The Determinants of Children’s Involvement in Housework among Nuclear Families

Abstract

  Due to the increase of dual-earner couples, a great deal of research has been conducted on the division of household labor between husbands and wives. However, few studies have investigated children's involvement in housework.

  This study investigates the determinants of children's involvement in housework. Using the data from the Survey of Nuclear Families in Japan (2008), this study focuses on children aged between 9 and 18, their fathers and mothers living in Tokyo and its suburbs. Path analyses based on theoretical concepts revealed that the determinants of sons' and daughters' housework were different. Fathers' greater involvement in housework, a higher level satisfaction of mother-son relationship, and mothers' higher educational level encouraged sons' involvement in housework. On the contrary, daughters' involvement in housework was reduced when they returned home late, or their mothers had liberal gender ideology.

  These findings suggest that sons are likely to be involved in housework due to parental encouragement, and daughters involve themselves autonomously. Moreover, they imply that mothers who are highly educated or take gendered division of labor negatively promote gender equality in housework by encouraging sons and fathers to do more.