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Help whom and help what? Intergenerational co-residence and the gender differences in time use among dual-earner households in Beijing, China

Author

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  • Na Ta

    (Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, China)

  • Zhilin Liu

    (School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, China)

  • Yanwei Chai

    (Department of Urban and Economic Geography, Peking University, China)

Abstract

An extensive literature has documented the conflict between employment and household responsibilities and its impacts on the gendered patterns of daily activities in dual-earner households. However, most studies have focused exclusively on the division of household labour in nuclear households, with insufficient attention paid to the impact of alternative household strategies such as co-residence with extended family members. This article investigates the extent to which the presence of elderly parents shifts gendered activity patterns and even reduces the gender inequality in time use in urban China. By drawing on an activity diary survey conducted in Beijing in 2012, we compare and contrast the gendered patterns in time use between nuclear family households and extended family households. We find that co-residence mitigates the tension between employment and household responsibilities for women and leads to greater gender equality in the division of household labour and a reduced gender gap in the time spent on employment. However, co-residence only enables women to shift their time allocation from household responsibilities to employment rather than to pursue discretionary activities, and therefore its positive role is limited. We further discuss the policy implications given the limitations of intergenerational co-residence as an individual-based solution for childcare and other social services in transitional urban China.

Suggested Citation

  • Na Ta & Zhilin Liu & Yanwei Chai, 2019. "Help whom and help what? Intergenerational co-residence and the gender differences in time use among dual-earner households in Beijing, China," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 56(10), pages 2058-2074, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:56:y:2019:i:10:p:2058-2074
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098018787153
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Yan Zhang & Yanwei Chai, 2023. "“Diorama, Path and Project” to Understanding Everyday Life and Urban Space in Transitional Chinese Cities," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 114(3), pages 227-236, July.
    2. Tao, Yinhua & van Ham, Maarten & Petrović, Ana & Ta, Na, 2023. "A household perspective on the commuting paradox: Longitudinal relationships between commuting time and subjective wellbeing for couples in China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    3. Li, Chunjiang & Zhang, Yan & Chai, Yanwei, 2021. "Do spatial factors outweigh institutional factors? Changes in influencing factors of home-work separation from 2007 to 2017 in Beijing," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).

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