Why has a reduction in housework for women not led to an equal division of housework between the sexes?

Why has a reduction in housework for women not led to an equal division of housework between the sexes? This paper draws on the 2001/02 German Time Use Survey to evaluate couples’ time-use behaviour, most especially the equal division of housework. It aims to explain both the time allocation of housework and persisting gender differences in household time-use behaviour. The theoretical foundation for this empirical analysis is Chiappori’s (1997) collective model, which allows simultaneous consideration of individual utility and issues of household production. It also incorporates the alternative econometric method of structural equation modelling (SEM) to provide more detailed insight into the factors affecting housework decisions. We find that even if the characteristics measured for the individual are given the same values, the division of housework is still unequal because these variables impact housework differently for each sex. We also find that instead of the wage rate being responsible for the gender gap, it is the presence of children, housing characteristics (e.g. living space), age and paid or unpaid household services that influence the time spent on housework more strongly for women than for men. Contact details: Wencke Gwozdz University of Hohenheim Fruwirthstrasse 48 70599 Stuttgart Germany E-mail: [email protected]