Household size and housework time in Latin America
Garcia Roman, Joan
Martinez Mendiola, Anna (Universidad del País Vasco)
Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics

Date:	2025
Abstract:	This study investigates the relationship between household size and time spent on housework in Latin American countries, with a particular emphasis on gender differences. Drawing on data from time-use surveys conducted since 2009, it examines how housework distribution varies by household composition and individual characteristics such as employment status, education, and age. Our analysis reveals that larger households require more total housework, but economies of scale reduce the per capita workload as each additional household member does not proportionally increase the overall burden. Gender continues to shape the division of housework: as household size grows, women's housework time increases until households reach three to four members, after which it stabilizes or slightly decreases due to task-sharing among female members. In contrast, men's housework time decreases between one- and two-member households and remains largely unchanged with further increases in household size.
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Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió de l'autor
Subject:	Housework ; Gender ; Household composition ; Latin America
Published in:	Journal of Family Issues, 2025 , ISSN 1552-5481

DOI: 10.1177/0192513X251356254

Preprint 35 p, 1.7 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Social and Legal Sciences > Centre for Demographic Studies (CED-CERCA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles