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Foodwork and working from home: Time allocation of Latin American couples

Author

Listed:
  • Chomali, Laura
  • Campaña, Juan Carlos
  • Molina, José Alberto

Abstract

Gender inequality in unpaid domestic labor persists despite rising female labor market participation across the developing world. Foodwork, understood as cooking, grocery shopping, and dishwashing, links this inequality to household health, with documented connections to dietary quality in a region facing diet-related chronic disease. Telework offers a pathway toward redistribution of these responsibilities. Using time-use data from four Latin American countries and seemingly unrelated regressions, we show that what matters is not whether telework occurs, but who teleworks. Joint telework raises foodwork by up to 250% (Guatemala) and eating time by up to 32% (Chile). Female-exclusive telework produces the sharpest asymmetry: women's foodwork, eating time, and paid hours change by up to 78%, 35%, and 10.3 weekly hours (Chile). Male-exclusive telework yields a smaller reversal: men's foodwork up to 123% (Guatemala), eating time up to 36% (Chile). Policies should prioritize joint and male-inclusive arrangements to generate redistributive effects within couples.

Suggested Citation

  • Chomali, Laura & Campaña, Juan Carlos & Molina, José Alberto, 2026. "Foodwork and working from home: Time allocation of Latin American couples," MPRA Paper 128883, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:128883
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • O54 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Latin America; Caribbean

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