2 - Who “Avoids” Housework? – Evidence from Teenagers in Japan

Presentation Abstract
For most teenagers in Japan, housework is not their main concern, rather their focus is on scholarly pursuits and club activities. Some research shows that the peak of children’s participation in housework is early teenage years, which means many children retreat from helping at home as they grow. One of the reasons might be a shift in priorities to academic work or other activities. This research sheds some light, especially on who in particular deprioritizes housework in junior-high and high school and how gender might differentiate that process, by utilizing nationally representative data from the Japanese Longitudinal Study of Children and Parents by Benesse Educational Research and Development Institute. As this is paired-panel data, information on a parent will be analyzed as well, such as the parent’s view on gender roles, occupation, and educational background.
Firstly, this research describes the overall picture of children’s housework in Japan including how much they do housework, and what kind of specific chores they engage in. Gender inequality in housework starts from a very young age. After that, the focus is on the relationship between housework and other aspects of school life, such as school grades or club activities. At the same time, an analysis of whether the gender gap in housework has widened or changed as children grow will be conducted with the use of panel data which has 3 Waves conducted in 2015, 2018, and 2021.