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What Type of Housework Happiness Do You Prefer? Does Gender and Health Matter? A Taiwanese Study

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  • Ching-Fen Lee

    (Minghsin University of Science and Technology, Hsinchu 30401, Taiwan)

  • Shain-May Tang

    (National Open University, New Taipei City 247031, Taiwan)

Abstract

The purposes of this study was to discover the circumstances in which people gain happiness from performing housework and to understand gender differences in housework-related happiness. We used national data from the Taiwan Social Change Survey conducted in 2011. Only married and cohabiting respondents were included in this study ( N = 1250). Two types of housework happiness were developed: the goal satisfaction type (GST) and the activity enjoyment type (AET), based on interview results in pilot studies and the concept of positive psychology. We found that the significant variables on the two types of housework-related happiness for the total sample were gender, socioeconomic status, gender role attitude, decision-making power, relative feminine housework, and respondent’s health. In addition, the effects on the two types of housework-related happiness for males and females are different. Most people derive happiness from housework if their preferences for type of housework and their personal characteristics are matched. It is possible to transform an otherwise monotonous daily activity into a source of happiness through the process of understanding your housework preference type, learning to enjoy the beauty of housework, and creating fun with chores for families. However, the survey (TSCS) used in this study was carried out over 10 years ago (2011) and the results may be somewhat different in Taiwan today.

Suggested Citation

  • Ching-Fen Lee & Shain-May Tang, 2022. "What Type of Housework Happiness Do You Prefer? Does Gender and Health Matter? A Taiwanese Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-12, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:14:p:8409-:d:859318
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Takashi Oshio & Kayo Nozaki & Miki Kobayashi, 2013. "Division of Household Labor and Marital Satisfaction in China, Japan, and Korea," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 211-223, June.
    2. Makiko Hori & Yoshinori Kamo, 2018. "Gender Differences in Happiness: the Effects of Marriage, Social Roles, and Social Support in East Asia," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 13(4), pages 839-857, December.
    3. Allen M. Parkman, 2004. "Bargaining Over Housework," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(4), pages 765-794, October.
    4. Marta Dominguez-Folgueras, 2021. "Difficult Times: The Division of Domestic Work under Lockdown in France," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-13, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Anu Molarius & Alexandra Metsini, 2023. "The Association between Time Spent in Domestic Work and Mental Health among Women and Men," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-9, March.

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