Time use among urban women in China at different income levels

Fenglian Du and Yunxia Zhao

Journal of Asian Economics, 2025, vol. 96, issue C

Abstract: This paper analyzes data from the 2017 Chinese Time Use Survey to explore changes in women’s time allocation among households. The findings reveal a stratification phenomenon in the time allocation of Chinese women, with women in households of varying income levels exhibiting different labor division characteristics. In low-income households, women spend on average 1.296 h less per day on paid work compared to men, but 2.439 h more on unpaid work, and 1.116 h less on leisure, indicating a tendency towards a traditional division of labor. In middle-income households, the gender gap in paid work time has significantly narrowed, yet women still spend on average 1.824 h more per day on unpaid work and 0.888 h less on leisure, bearing a more severe double burden of work and family responsibilities. In high-income households, the time allocation between genders is largely equal. As household income rises, the comparative advantage of spouses in household labor division becomes less influential. In middle-income families, women with greater bargaining power than their spouses spend more time on paid work. Gender equality awareness effectively promotes more equal time use between husbands and wives.

Keywords: Married women; Time allocation; Gendered division of labor; Bargaining power; Gender equality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 J16 J22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:asieco:v:96:y:2025:i:c:s1049007824001611

DOI: 10.1016/j.asieco.2024.101866

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