Tradition and Transition: Exploring the Division of Housework Between Couples and Across Generations in China

Previous research on housework has primarily focused on nuclear families, leaving a gap in our knowledge of housework divisions within multigenerational households. This study integrates intergenerational and intragenerational perspectives, as well as between- and within-gender perspectives, to examine individuals’ contributions to housework, the division of housework between spouses, and the division of housework among women in two-couple-generation households. Analyses were based on recently available national time use data in China. Results show that in two-couple-generation households, an average of 7.7 h per day is dedicated to housework, with the first-generation wife shouldering the majority (51%), followed by the second-generation wife (30%), first-generation husband (12%), and second-generation husband (7%). Housework divisions vary between workdays and weekends, with adjustments primarily occurring between the two generations of women. Egalitarian spousal divisions of housework are more prevalent among the second generations compared to the first generations. The prioritization of paid work for second-generation couples in multi-generational households greatly shapes the division of domestic responsibilities within these families. Additionally, second-generation couples living in multigenerational households adhere to traditional gender roles when dividing housework. This study emphasizes the importance of adopting a within-gender perspective beyond a between-gender perspective when analyzing housework divisions in multigenerational households. Such a perspective enables a more nuanced understanding of the complex processes of household bargaining and obligation juggling across generations.