The Sharing of Domestic Chores and Unpaid Childcare is Returning to Pre-Lockdown Trends
Over the first lockdown, the share of childcare and domestic chores between men and women became more equitable. In May, the ONS found that lockdown had led to a 58% increase in the amount of time men spent on childcare. As children have returned to school this Autumn however, women are doing 99% more unpaid childcare than men.
A similar trend can be seen with the amount of housework undertaken by women and men. The ONS reports that in March and April, women were spending 44% more time on housework than men, which was down from 2015 statistics. By September 2020, however, the amount of housework undertaken by women had risen again to 64% more than men.
These recent findings are troubling. For example, if women are disproportionately undertaking more housework and unpaid childcare, they have less time to do paid work and this increases their risk of living in poverty. If we want to move towards a gender equal society, there needs to be better provision for parents and carers to share childcare more equitably.
Find the link to the statistics regarding unpaid childcare and domestic chores on the ONS website below: