MEHE KODU ON MAAILM, NAISE MAAILM ON KODU? - Tartu Ülikool

SOOLISED ERINEVUSED AJAKASUTUSES GENDER DIFFERENCES IN TIME USE
use is further influenced by the area of residence. Division of roles can be linked to different
traditions in urban and rural areas. Opportunities available for employment or recreation may
differ, too. (Figure 4)
Studies have indicated that parenthood leads to a more traditional division of work between
women and men (McGinnity and Russell 2008). Women in families with small children tend to
spend significantly more time on household care than men. If a household includes children
younger than seven, women in that household spend almost six hours a day on household and
family care. The contribution of men to household work in such households is only a little over
two and a half hours. However, men with small children spend more time on employment than
women, with an average of five hours a day. Even though the time spent on different types of
work is much longer in families with small children than in other households, the gender
differences are not particularly large in terms of total committed time. Women in these
households spend almost 8.5 hours daily on different types of work, while men spend only one
hour less. The impact of children on the division of work depends on the age of children. A child’s
direct impact on the amount of household work can be in negative correlation with the age of the
child – a child’s participation in household duties increases with age (Anxo and Carlin 2004).
Education influences the time use by women and men in two ways. Firstly, higher education
increases the likelihood of higher income, which can mean more power and a greater say in
decisions about the choice of work in a household. Secondly, education can be linked to a
person’s beliefs. People with higher education are likely to have more egalitarian views and
prefer more equal division of household tasks (Anxo and Carlin 2004). Studies have indicated
that the time spent on household care by women decreases as their level of education increases,
while highly educated men are more likely to contribute to household care (McGinnity and Russell
2008). In Estonia, however, if we exclude people who are still studying, education has no
influence on the division of household work between women and men. However, education does
influence the total volume of work. As people with higher education are more likely to be
employed, the time spent on employment activities correspondingly increases at higher levels of
education.
The impact of age on people’s time use manifests itself mainly through different life cycles. Young
people are mostly engaged in studies and are still living with their parents and, consequently, the
duration of time spent by them on household care and their total occupied time are not very large.
The biggest workload has been observed in case of women and men aged 25–44 (see Figure 5).
In case of women of this age, various types of work duties take up almost nine hours a day. The
gender gap is also the largest in the age group 25–44, with the total committed time of men being
one and a half hours shorter than that of women. This age coincides with active childcare and the
most active engagement in employment. However, while women in the age group 25–44 spend a
lot of time on household care, this is exceeded by women of at least 65 years of age (almost five
hours a day). Comparison of age groups reveals that older men spend the most time on
household duties, with only 45 minutes less than women of the same age. As only a few people
of at least 65 years of age are engaged in employment, their total occupied time is the shortest
across all age groups (excl. the 10–14-year-olds) and the gender gap in total committed time is
also the smallest. (Figure 5)
The ratio between employment and leisure time depends on labour status. Employed persons
spend significantly more time than others on paid work. The longer the time spent on
employment, the less time remains for other activities. Nevertheless, employed persons spend on
average three hours a day on household work. As a result, the total committed time of employed
persons is significantly longer compared to others (see Figure 6). Even though paid work takes
up almost an equal share of a day of employed women and men (5.5 and 6 hours, respectively),
women have to spend an hour more than men on household care. The gender difference in the
total committed time is the largest among the unemployed. Employment activities constitute a
rather small share of the total committed time of unemployed women and unemployed men. Even
though in this situation neither sex is seemingly prevented from taking care of the household,
men still tend to spend a rather modest amount of time on household care. Unemployed women
MEHE KODU ON MAAILM, NAISE MAAILM ON KODU? MAN’S HOME IS THE WORLD, WOMAN’S WORLD IS HER HOME? 31