Who cares and who shares? Caregiving in the household

King, Elizabeth M. and Randolph, Hannah L. and Suh, Jooyeoun (2021) Who cares and who shares? Caregiving in the household. Preprint / Working Paper. The Care Work and the Economy Project, Economics Department, American University, Washington DC. (https://research.american.edu/careworkeconomy/wp-c...)

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Abstract

This paper examines the magnitude of unpaid care work performed within households and how that work is shared among household members. Using nationally representative time-use survey data from three countries, we develop a time-use-based approach to examine the presence of economies of scale and economies of scope in family caregiving. Ghana, Mongolia, and South Korea differ with respect not only to their level of economic development but also to their average household size, demographic structure, and gender norms. Yet, controlling for household characteristics, there are striking similarities in the allocation of care work within households in these countries. We find significant evidence of substitution between men and women, particularly in childcare, as well as economies of scale in the care of young children by women in all three countries and by men in Mongolia and Korea. We also explore the evidence for economies of scope in household care work, but characteristic limitations of time-use survey data make it difficult to discern them clearly.

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