Carmichael, F., Darko, C., Kanji, S., & Vasilakos, N. (2023). The Contribution of Girls’ Longer Hours In Unpaid Work To Gender Gaps In Early Adult Employment: Evidence From Ethiopia, India, Peru, And Vietnam. Feminist Economics, 29(1), 1 – 37.
The purpose of the study was to comprehend how gendered labour market inequalities are impacted by children’s unequal participation in unpaid work. The report estimated and broke down the gender wage gap across Peru, India, Vietnam, and Ethiopia; four countries with varying income and education levels. Regression analysis was used to determine whether time spent doing household chores when younger is negatively correlated with later employment participation, earnings, and the gendered earnings gap. The data was taken from ages 8 to 22. The study’s key findings were: girls work more hours in the home than boys, which contributes to the gender wage gap; girls spend less time than boys in play or leisure at all ages; time spent doing household chores as children has an impact on young adults’ employment; and time spent doing household chores as adolescents has an adverse effect on job quality as adults.
The paper found that, even by the age of 22, women are less likely to have paid employment, and in the low and middle income countries included in this study, they earned less than men. Young women’s lower earnings are partially a result of their larger share of household chores. The other finding was that employment participation at age 22 is positively correlated with time spent in household work which is especially true for women though there is negative correlation with the job quality they obtain. It seems that in comparison to men, women’s employment is likely to be driven to a greater extent by lack of choice or by need and is characterised by fewer opportunities for well paid, higher quality employment.
The conclusions draw policy recommendations for enhancing young people’s employment prospects in low- and middle-income nations. Firstly, the findings showed a connection between girls’ higher share of unpaid house work and lower-quality employment and the gender pay gap, confirming that women bear a greater burden of care in the house . Secondly, the results confirmed the existence of gender inequalities in employment participation and earnings even at relatively young ages in these four countries. This article showed how the time young women and girls spent in unpaid household work contributes to the gender pay gap that is already evident by age 22. The study emphasised the significance of gender and how gender influences the way lives develop in low- and middle-income countries. In these countries, policy to support young women’s economic outcomes should take into account gender differences in children’s hours of unpaid household work as well as their material living conditions.