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Difficult Times: The Division of Domestic Work under Lockdown in France

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  • Marta Dominguez-Folgueras

    (Science Po, OSC, CNRS, 75007 Paris, France)

Abstract

The lockdowns enforced in many countries to contain the spread of COVID-19 had important consequences for the domestic sphere. This paper analyzes the division of domestic work among heterosexual couples in France during the lockdown. In particular, we analyzed the role of time constraints and availability and expected to find a more egalitarian division of domestic work among couples in which the man had more time than his partner due to not working or working from home. We used data from the ELIPSS panel, a representative survey of the French population, and ran OLS regressions on the division of domestic work among 406 couples. The results show that men’s time availability was associated with a more egalitarian division of domestic work, even if gender inequalities persisted. However, we did not find any clear differences between men who did not work and men who worked from home, leading us to hypothesize that men’s presence at home is an important factor.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:10:y:2021:i:6:p:219-:d:571927
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Marta Pasqualini & Marta Dominguez Folgueras & Emanuele Ferragina & Olivier Godechot & Ettore Recchi & Mirna Safi, 2022. "Who took care of what? The gender division of unpaid work during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in France," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 46(34), pages 1007-1036.
    2. 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.

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