Search

Based on data from the “Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey” ( RLMS-HSE), this article analyzes the gender distinctions and tendencies that characterize changes in the structure of how chores are assigned, and how much time is allocated to them, in households that consist solely of married couples, during the years 19942021. As it turns out, in such households women tend to do much more work around the house than do men. However, both men and women have been spending more time working for pay outside of the home, though simultaneously the overall amount of time spent doing work outside of the home, as well as on household chores, has decreased. Other changes that were observed include a decrease of over twofold in the time spent on performing household chores by either men or women, and a somewhat less substantial reduction of the difference in time spent doing chores between women and men. Distribution of household chores by gender during the time period in question has become more equal mostly due to the fact that the time women used to spend performing household duties has been decreasing at a more rapid rate than in the case of their partners. The results of the study also point towards variability and a considerable decrease in the time spent on performing various household duties by the women and men who form families consisting of just the married couples. Where the discrepancy between genders is the greatest is when it comes to time spent on those chores that involve monotonous, tedious and exhausting work around the house.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the gender dimension of its more visible socio-economic impacts has been the topic of study by several researchers. The current paper takes this further by focusing on the invisible chores done in the families at home. This paper studies how people's behavior towards housework changed during and after the confinement period in Spain. We analyze whether people did more housework during the lockdown period than before it, the way this housework was distributed between women and men, and whether this has changed since the end of lockdown. The empirical analyses point to a new trend in the housework gender gap: differences between men and women have narrowed since the lockdown, although women continue to bear most of the responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media and research reports have highlighted the disproportionate burden of home and family responsibilities shouldered by women and mothers due to COVID-19-related school/childcare shutdowns. This cross-sectional study extends this line of inquiry to emerging adults. Our study of 329 diverse emerging adults suggests that young women took on more home/family responsibilities than young men amidst the pandemic, and that these duties were associated with symptoms of depression. However, results also indicate that emerging adults who reported greater home/family responsibilities amidst the pandemic also experienced more quality family time, suggesting that pandemic-related challenges may have also been accompanied by opportunities for family connection. Contrary to previous research that has shown home/family responsibilities to be concentrated by SES and race/ ethnicity, we found that participants uniformly endorsed COVID-19-related impacts on home/family responsibilities across these demographic distinctions. This could reflect the ubiquity of COVID-19's impact; across race/ethnicity and class--but differentially by gender--young adults faced significant challenges in taking on new home/family roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using three-annual-wave, dyadic data from different-gender, dual-earner couples in the United States (N = 904 couples), we delineated associations between work-family conflict and housework division for husbands and wives across COVID-19 and tested the moderating role of each spouse's traditional gender attitudes in these associations. We used the conservation of resource theory and family systems theory as guiding frameworks. Couples were from a nationally representative sample of married couples recruited using a two-stage cluster stratification strategy. Using a random-intercept, actor-partner interdependence, cross-lagged panel model, we found bidirectional, longitudinal associations among changes in work-family conflicts and perceived fairness of housework division across the transition caused by COVID-19. Specifically, increased work-family conflicts predicted the perception of increased unfairness in housework division and vice versa, and changes experienced by husbands were predictive for both spouses. We also found husbands' (not wives') more traditional gender attitudes exaggerated the associations between increased work-family conflicts and the perception of more unfairness. We advocate for efforts to facilitate work-family balance and to promote more egalitarian gender attitudes, which is especially crucial because the COVID-19 pandemic and other social changes have reshaped work and family lives and gender role attitudes around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media and research reports have highlighted the disproportionate burden of home and family responsibilities shouldered by women and mothers due to COVID-19-related school/childcare shutdowns. This cross-sectional study extends this line of inquiry to emerging adults. Our study of 329 diverse emerging adults suggests that young women took on more home/family responsibilities than young men amidst the pandemic, and that these duties were associated with symptoms of depression. However, results also indicate that emerging adults who reported greater home/family responsibilities amidst the pandemic also experienced more quality family time, suggesting that pandemic-related challenges may have also been accompanied by opportunities for family connection. Contrary to previous research that has shown home/family responsibilities to be concentrated by SES and race/ethnicity, we found that participants uniformly endorsed COVID-19-related impacts on home/family responsibilities across these demographic distinctions. This could reflect the ubiquity of COVID-19’s impact; across race/ethnicity and class—but differentially by gender—young adults faced significant challenges in taking on new home/family roles.

The involvement of children in household chores, a form of hidden child labor, has both positive and negative aspects. On the positive side, it contributes to their physical activity and fosters a sense of responsibility towards their families and society. However, there is an adverse effect on their school attendance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the children's involvement in household chores in Bangladesh by examining the prevalence, duration, and controlling determinants. This study used the Chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression model to analyze the data of 39,509 children aged 5–17 years from MICS-2019. Approximately 58% of children participated in household activities, with around 69% of them being girls. About 14% of children had a chance of interruption in school attainment, while more than 6% were considered child laborers. Moreover, the study revealed that a child's participation in household chores is significantly influenced by various key factors, including sex, age, the child's education, the number of siblings, the mother's education, division, and the family's wealth status. Similarly, a child's sex, age, education level, functional difficulties, and geographical region all had a notable influence on the duration of household activities. Furthermore, female children were almost threefold more likely to be involved in household chores than their male counterparts. Additionally, higher educated mothers and more wealthy families had a lower chance of involving their children in housekeeping chores. The study's findings would help policymakers, social workers, and community leaders in developing appropriate strategies for involving children in household chores in order to increase their physical activity as well as family and social responsibility while ensuring that their school attainment is not hampered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in the incomes of a particular household member can lead to changes in their decision-making power within the household affecting several outcomes. This paper estimates the effects of the PANES program (Plan de Atención Nacional a la Emergencia Social), a cash transfer program focused on low-income households of Uruguay between 2005 and 2007, on four different outcomes: the probability of divorce, changes in household size, distribution of household chores, and the probability of women becoming heads of household. My identification strategy exploits the discontinuity in the program assignment of beneficiaries resulting from a continuous pre-treatment eligibility score. The program increased the probability of maintaining the same marital status and the stability of the household size. These results persist once beneficiaries stop receiving benefits, at least in the short term. No effects were found in the likelihood of performing household chores when considering all beneficiaries, but heterogeneous effects were observed depending on their gender. Despite women being the primary recipients of the program, no impacts were found on their probability of being heads of households. This paper shows how public policies can affect the private lives of program recipients on outcomes beyond the policy objectives. In particular, cash transfers and conditionalities can affect gender equality and the distribution of household chores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Housework may provide a sustainable form of physical activity for older adults and improve health and survival outcomes. Longitudinal studies on associations between housework status over time and health outcomes are lacking. We aim to assess the longitudinal association of intensity and duration of housework with frailty and mortality outcomes. Methods Among 3270 community-dwelling prospective cohort study participants, aged ≥55 years, data on light housework (N=2996) and heavy housework (N=3022) were available at baseline (March 6, 2009, to June 11, 2013) and follow-up at 3 to 5 years later, (January 16, 2013 to August 24, 2018). Median time spent per week on light (≥420min/week) and heavy (>0min/week) household activities at baseline and follow-up were used to categorise individuals into three groups (i) consistent low levels of housework at both baseline and follow-up, (ii) inconsistent high levels of housework at either baseline or follow-up and (iii) consistent high levels of housework at both baseline and follow-up. Baseline and follow-up frailty index >0.10, and all-cause, cancer and cardiovascular mortality from mean 9.5 years follow-up to March 31, 2021. Effect estimates were adjusted for socio-demographics, nutritional risk, lifestyle and other physical activities. Results Overall, participants had mean [SD] age, 66.9 [7.8] years; 1916 [62.7%] were female. Participation in high levels of light and heavy housework consistently over time was associated with decreased odds of prefrailty/frailty at follow-up, [OR,0.61;95%CI,0.40–0.94] and [OR,0.56;95%CI,0.34–0.90] respectively, in the older group aged ≥65, compared to participants with consistent low levels of housework at baseline and follow-up. Sex-stratified analysis revealed an association between regular heavy housework participation and lower prevalence of prefrailty/frailty at follow-up in older men but not women [OR,0.31;95%CI,0.13–0.72]. Regular participation in high levels of light housework was associated with 41% lower risk of all-cause mortality [95%CI,0.36–0.96] in women but not in men, and 54% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality [95%CI,0.22–0.96]. Conclusions Regular participation in above average levels of light housework is associated with decreased odds of prefrailty/frailty in older adults aged ≥65 years, and all-cause mortality in older women. Heavy housework participation is associated with decreased odds of prefrailty/frailty, especially in older men aged ≥65. Housework may be a meaningful occupation for older adults and should be encouraged for health and wellbeing.

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Survival in these patients has increased because of early diagnosis and multimodality treatment methods. Return to premorbid functional status after treatment is essential for rehabilitation and good quality of life. Many patients suffer from late treatment-related symptoms which affect their return to premorbid status. Various health-related and work-related variables also affect the return to premorbid status. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 98 patients with breast carcinoma who received curative treatment were included 6-12 months post-radiotherapy completion. Patients were interviewed to assess their type of work and hours of work prior to diagnosis and at the time of the study. The extent to which they are able to return to their pre-diagnosis level of work was noted and various factors that were hindering them were documented. Treatment-related symptoms were assessed using selected questions from NCI PRO-CTCAE (version 1.0) questionnaire. Results: The median age of diagnosis of patients included in the study was 49-50 years. The most common symptoms experienced by patients were fatigue (55%), pain (34%) and oedema (27%). 57% of patients were employed before diagnosis, of which only 20% were able to return to their employment post-treatment. All patients were involved in household work prior to diagnosis and 93% were able to get back to their routine household work, with 20% of patients requiring frequent work breaks. About 40% of patients reported social stigma as a factor that hindered them from returning to work. Conclusion: Most patients return to household work post-treatment. Fatigue, pain and social stigma were the most common barriers to return to employment. Patient-reported outcomes and functional assessments can enable better survivorship care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housework is a key area of research across many academic fields as it represents the intersection of micro- and macro-level gender dynamics. Despite many shifts in both women's and men's economic activities, and men's changing gender beliefs, women remain largely responsible for the management and performance of domestic labor. Given the relationship between paid employment and household work, this research describes patterns of women's and men's housework before, during, and after the Great Recession. Using American Time Use Survey data, I perform latent profile analysis to document the distributions of housework tasks and time for women and men across these three time periods. While women perform the majority of housework across the time frame, women and men converge in their time during the Recession. Further, men's time becomes more varied and more similar to women's Post-Recession. The findings in this research brief highlight the connections between macro-level change and micro-level behavior.

Background: Housework may provide a sustainable form of physical activity for older adults and improve health and survival outcomes. Longitudinal studies on associations between housework status over time and health outcomes are lacking. We aim to assess the longitudinal association of intensity and duration of housework with frailty and mortality outcomes. Methods: Among 3270 community-dwelling prospective cohort study participants, aged ≥55 years, data on light housework (N=2996) and heavy housework (N=3022) were available at baseline (March 6, 2009, to June 11, 2013) and follow-up at 3 to 5 years later, (January 16, 2013 to August 24, 2018). Median time spent per week on light (≥420min/week) and heavy (>0min/week) household activities at baseline and follow-up were used to categorise individuals into three groups (i) consistent low levels of housework at both baseline and follow-up, (ii) inconsistent high levels of housework at either baseline or follow-up and (iii) consistent high levels of housework at both baseline and follow-up. Baseline and follow-up frailty index >0.10, and all-cause, cancer and cardiovascular mortality from mean 9.5 years follow-up to March 31, 2021. Effect estimates were adjusted for socio-demographics, nutritional risk, lifestyle and other physical activities. Results: Overall, participants had mean [SD] age, 66.9 [7.8] years; 1916 [62.7%] were female. Participation in high levels of light and heavy housework consistently over time was associated with decreased odds of prefrailty/frailty at follow-up, [OR,0.61;95%CI,0.40–0.94] and [OR,0.56;95%CI,0.34–0.90] respectively, in the older group aged ≥65, compared to participants with consistent low levels of housework at baseline and follow-up. Sex-stratified analysis revealed an association between regular heavy housework participation and lower prevalence of prefrailty/frailty at follow-up in older men but not women [OR,0.31;95%CI,0.13–0.72]. Regular participation in high levels of light housework was associated with 41% lower risk of all-cause mortality [95%CI,0.36–0.96] in women but not in men, and 54% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality [95%CI,0.22–0.96]. Conclusions: Regular participation in above average levels of light housework is associated with decreased odds of prefrailty/frailty in older adults aged ≥65 years, and all-cause mortality in older women. Heavy housework participation is associated with decreased odds of prefrailty/frailty, especially in older men aged ≥65. Housework may be a meaningful occupation for older adults and should be encouraged for health and wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study’s main objective was to examine whether, in a U.S. sample, ambivalent sexism would show stronger associations with heterosexual husbands and wives’ housework division (hours and proportion) than have previous gender-ideology measures. Unlike earlier conceptions of sexism emphasizing hostile and negative stereotypical views toward women, ambivalent sexism combines the two dimensions of hostile sexism and benevolent sexism (seemingly positive views and behaviors toward women that nevertheless convey underlying paternalistic and patronizing motivations). We hypothesized that male and female respondents high in both hostile and benevolent sexism would report the typical pattern of wives’ housework exceeding their husbands’, whereas those lower in hostile or benevolent sexism would report less housework being performed by wives. Married individuals (N = 249) were recruited via advertisements on Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform and announcements at a university to complete an online survey. Several variables were measured, including own and spouse’s housework hours, hostile and benevolent sexism, and demographic control variables previously associated with housework allocation. An interaction emerged for women, in which those high in benevolent, but low in hostile, sexism reported performing the highest proportion of housework, whereas those low in both forms of sexism performed the lowest proportion. These results provided full or partial support for different aspects of our hypotheses. Men reported greater housework (hours and proportion) the more hours their wife worked outside the house. Discussion examines implications for ambivalent sexism theory, housework sharing, and conceptions of sexism.

The study examined time allocation per day among household chores versus income generation activities that influence wealth statuses of rural women in Busega District, Tanzania. Cross-sectional research design was adopted to conduct the study. The methods applied for data collection include household survey, focus group discussions, non-participant observations and documentary reviews. Qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. Quantitative data were analysed through cross-tabulation and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results show that, the means of hours used by rural women in conducting each activity per day were lopsided on household chores. The average time shows that each rural woman used approximately 6 hours for conducting household chores and at least two hours for income generation activities per day. Furthermore, the wealth statuses were established by computing Principal Component Analysis as it was revealed that the majority 62.9% (132) of the rural women were poor having low incomes. The tercile classification took account for below TZS 200,000 indicating poor, TZS 200,001 to 600,000 for middle and TZS 600,001 and above for better-off as higher income. The study concludes that rural women's income growth has been hampered by the burden of household chores because they were limited to participate effectively in productive activities. The paper recommends that, the government through the Ministry of Community Development, Gender and Special Groups experts should foster interventions that are grounded on increasing rural women's participation in income generation activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Crohn's disease; household chores; inflammatory bowel disease; IBDQ-score; quality of life; ulcerative colitis EN Crohn's disease household chores inflammatory bowel disease IBDQ-score quality of life ulcerative colitis 228 230 3 03/28/23 20230301 NES 230301 More than a half of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients experienced a moderate negative effect on their household chores due to their IBD. Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, IBDQ-score, household chores, quality of life, ulcerative colitis Clinicians treating IBD patients should ask about their patient's overall well-being and quality of life and maybe, as a part of that, their ability to perform household chores. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Przegląd Socjologii Jakościowej is the property of Redakcja Przegladu Socjologii Jakosciowej and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this article is to examine the implementation of Article 7 of Convention No. 138 in the municipal laws of South Africa. The regulation of light work in South Africa is complex because there is no legislation that defines or even refers to light work by children between the ages of 12 and 15. Children below the age of 15 years can only undertake work for the purposes of fundraising and charity and cannot be employed for remuneration. The relevant legislation does not provide children with adequate opportunities to undertake work that could be beneficial for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study's main objective was to examine whether, in a U.S. sample, ambivalent sexism would show stronger associations with heterosexual husbands and wives' housework division (hours and proportion) than have previous genderideology measures. Unlike earlier conceptions of sexism emphasizing hostile and negative stereotypical views toward women, ambivalent sexism combines the two dimensions of hostile sexism and benevolent sexism (seemingly positive views and behaviors toward women that nevertheless convey underlying paternalistic and patronizing motivations). We hypothesized that male and female respondents high in both hostile and benevolent sexism would report the typical pattern of wives' housework exceeding their husbands', whereas those lower in hostile or benevolent sexism would report less housework being performed by wives. Married individuals (N = 249) were recruited via advertisements on Amazon.com's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform and announcements at a university to complete an online survey. Several variables were measured, including own and spouse's housework hours, hostile and benevolent sexism, and demographic control variables previously associated with housework allocation. An interaction emerged for women, in which those high in benevolent, but low in hostile, sexism reported performing the highest proportion of housework, whereas those low in both forms of sexism performed the lowest proportion. These results provided full or partial support for different aspects of our hypotheses. Men reported greater housework (hours and proportion) the more hours their wife worked outside the house. Discussion examines implications for ambivalent sexism theory, housework sharing, and conceptions of sexism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We test two theories explaining domestic exploitation and violent abuse against women in couples. Exchange theory predicts both to increase when men outpower women; status inconsistency, when women do. As violence and exploitation can affect a couple's resources, making the model recursive, we focus on native status. Using data from a women's victimization survey (N = 8,000), we apply biprobit models to compare violent abuse and domestic exploitation in homogeneous and mixed couples in which one is a migrant. The results validate status inconsistency theory: native women with male migrant partners are less exploited but have the highest risks of being abused. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay focuses on works of video art from the 1970s and early 1980s by Letícia Parente (1930–1991), a first-generation video art pioneer in Brazil, whose video performances associated household imagery, domestic spaces, and quotidian chores and objects with violence, repression, and incarceration during the period the Brazilian dicatorship (1964–1985). Parente worked in video performance, an approach to performance art in which she performed for the video camera, rather than for a live audience. I argue that in her video performances, Parente performs domestic and quotidian actions in ways that enact self-harm and confinement in order to marshal a response to gender oppression in women’s daily lives that paralleled the violence and imprisonment Brazilians experienced under the dictatorship. By enacting disciplinary “punishments” (or the threat of such punishments) on herself, cloaked as daily domestic tasks, her works demonstrate the ways that the same forces that structure public disciplinary society also configure the private spaces of the home. I propose that she positions domestic space as a zone of containment and imprisonment, and that her resistance occurs not in the space itself but through the absurdity and ironic bathos of their bodily performances, as well as her actual or implied self-harm and violence, themes I address by engaging Kathy O’Dell’s theorization of “masochistic performance art,” and Hal Foster’s concept of “mimetic adaptation.”

This study examined associations between chores engagement, self-management, and transition readiness in youth with chronic conditions. Youths with various chronic conditions attending a therapeutic camp, and their parents participated. Responses of 165 campers and their parents were analyzed (mean camper age 12.3 ± 2.6 years, 47.9% males, 79.4% White). The most common diagnoses were diabetes, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, and sickle cell anemia. Youth who completed chores manifested higher overall health care transition readiness ( β ^ = 5.17, p =.026) and better communication with providers ( β ^ = 2.98, p =.006) than youth who completed no chores. Higher chores frequency was not more predictive of higher health care transition readiness scores above and beyond the effects of having chores at all. These results suggest that responsible health care behaviors are related to similar actions in other areas of life. Assignment of chores may promote self-management and health care transition readiness in youth with chronic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religion, that plays an undeniable role in creating a mentality, has a significant key role in the construction of individuals' gender role attitudes. The present article investigates the effect of religion on the formation of gender attitudes, choosing one's spouse, perception of femaleness and masculinity, sharing of household chores, and parenting roles of women and spouses with higher education, working, religious, and with children of 0-6 years of age. The study aimed to show how religion affected 25 married couples with the above-mentioned qualities, their choice of spouse, the formation of gender role attitudes, and the sharing of household chores and childcare responsibilities. As a result of this research which was based on the data obtained with the in-depth interview technique, it was determined that the participants considered the gender through the window of justice, where they see the religion as an upper-value; and the religious background that was concretized in the example of Prophet Muhammad provided empowering arguments for female participants about sharing household chores and childcare responsibility. In addition, it was also determined that Prophet Muhammad's sharing household chores was interpreted as an advice rather than a religious order by the male participants who did not do household chores; and it also provided the men with high participation in household chores with a religious explanation basis that legitimized their participation in household chores against their traditional families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 health crisis brought with it an increase in the workload on family members due to the restriction of services and the suspension of formal and informal care networks. Numerous studies have analyzed how home confinement have affected different gender gaps, including the gender gap related to chores within the home. This research aims to contribute to the existing literature from the perspective of gender geography by introducing the variable municipality size in the analyses. Our research in the case of Spain shows the COVID-19 health crisis to have had a significant impact on gender gaps, albeit to varying degrees. Women, especially those living in small municipalities, experienced a widening of the gap related to care and domestic workload during confinement. The study of the distribution of the more burdensome chores between genders shows an even more imbalanced scenario to the detriment of women. However, following the end of confinement, the situation improved. Although the imbalance against women remains, the gap with respect to the pre-pandemic situation has been reduced.

The gerontological theory of activity developed by Havighurst proposes that the longer the elderly invest in productive activities, the greater their sense of well-being. Therefore, the present study's objective was to evaluate the difficulties for performing daily living instrumental activities of 2,599 older adults of the Hidalgo Mexican state. Results show that more than 90% of the sample did not report difficulties to manage money, although the percentage was lower for difficulties to cook and perform household chores, the percentage of men being higher than that of women. It can be concluded that participation in several activities favors both, women and men, maintaining an active lifestyle, with women more involved in home-care activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/objectives: Reproductive labour refers to activities and tasks directed at caregiving and domestic roles, such as cleaning, cooking, and childcare. Productive labour refers to activities that involve economic remuneration. The aim of the present study was to analyse physical activity, sedentary behaviour, physical fitness, and cognitive performance in women with fibromyalgia who engaged, or did not engage, in productive work. Method: This cross-sectional study comprised 276 women with fibromyalgia from Andalusia (southern of Spain). Levels of physical activity (light, moderate, and vigorous) and sedentary behaviour were measured by an accelerometer. Physical fitness and cognitive performance were measured with a battery of performance-based tests. Results: More hours/week of homemaker-related tasks were associated with higher time spend in light physical activity and lower sedentary behaviour (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). Furthermore, in comparison with those who only engaged in reproductive labour, women with fibromyalgia who engaged in productive work showed lower levels of sedentary behaviour and higher levels of light and moderate physical activity, physical fitness (except muscular strength), and cognitive performance (all, P < 0.05). Conclusions: Altogether, our findings suggest that productive work is consistently related to better physical and cognitive functioning in women with fibromyalgia. If future research corroborates causality of our findings, then, to maintain women with fibromyalgia engaging in productive work may be strived for not only because of societal or economic reasons but also for better health. However, we should keep in mind that people with fibromyalgia have a chronic condition, and therefore, adaptations at the workplace are imperative. Key Points • Women with fibromyalgia, who spend more time in reproductive labour, have higher levels of light physical activity and lower sedentary behaviour; however, it is associated with poorer general health (as lower physical fitness or cognitive performance). • Household tasks are often seen as a responsibility associated with the gender roles that women with fibromyalgia perform, despite the feelings of incapacity they cause. Policies focused on reducing reproductive labour demands for fibromyalgia patients (i.e. social help on housework or childcare) might facilitate the inclusion of daily active behaviours. • People with fibromyalgia who engage in productive work seem to have better health outcomes than those who have not; however, we cannot forget that adaptations and flexibility at the workplace are imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dwelling is very much related to time. A home shields the dweller from outsiders yet, provides an opportunity to engage with the outside world. However, the time required for household chores tends to hinder this engagement, especially for women. Interestingly, co-housing projects tend to rationalise housing and mutualise time-consuming tasks, freeing up time to and thus emancipating and empowering inhabitants. This argument was put to the test in a field study in Brussels. Through a gendered perspective, the research questions and tries to identify which levers ease domestic drudgery in co-housing projects. Spatial analyses coupled with qualitative observations and interviews were carried out in two co-housing projects. The issue of freeing up time through co-housing seems particularly relevant to various categories of people. First, it addresses gender inequalities regarding an egalitarian sharing of household chores. Second, individual (divorced, elderly, or single) households could also benefit from these time savings. Understanding co-housing within this emancipating perspective could be a lever to influence future policy making and incentives.

• Household is an important physical activity resource in older adults' daily life. • Older adults' HPA and SWB had a positive association. • Engaging in HPA is a good approach for increasing old adults' self-rated health. • HPA is recommended for old couples to maintain marital satisfaction. • Older adults living in China and South Korea had higher HPA than others. Engaging in lifelong physical activity has multiple health benefits for older populations. Household physical activity occupies older adults' awake time, and they can be an important energy expenditure during the day. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between older adults' household physical activity and subjective well-being in four East Asian societies. The study design was a secondary data analysis. Data were retrieved from the module of Families 2016 in the database of the East Asian Social Survey. Participants were community-dwelling older adults with a mean age of 70.30±7.50 years and who lived in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Data were collected by interviews via structured questionnaires between 2016 and 2018. Descriptive analyses, independent t -tests, and an analysis of covariance were performed for the statistical analyses. In total, there were 3,432 valid responses. Participants who lived in Taiwan had significantly lower levels of total household physical activity than those living in other societies. Older adults' household physical activity was found to significantly differ by age, educational degree, gender, religion, marital status, occupation, and whether living alone. Older adults with high levels of household physical activity had significantly higher self-rated health and marital satisfaction than those with low levels. Household physical activity has potential benefits for subjective well-being across international older adult populations. Increasing household physical activity is recommended for older married couples to maintain marital satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key activity in good practice of occupational medicine is to control, on a regular basis, the workers’ health and how it is affected by the work environment and – consequently – to provide the employers and employees with advice regarding the organization, ergonomics, physiology and psychology of work. Occupational medicine practitioners should remember that certain duties are performed both at work and at home. This issue is particularly important in preventive healthcare of pregnant working women. Taking the above into consideration, we reviewed the literature with respect to nuisance and occupational risk factors, which might be associated with professional and household duties. The research indicates the need to reduce activities that require frequent bending or lifting, put a women at risk of falling or cause excess occupational stress for pregnant women. We would like to draw the doctors’ attention to the possibility of exceeding a 4-hour limit of work at video display terminals and negative effects of low physical exercise and sitting for a long time both at work and at home. Since long working hours (over 40 h/week) affect the course of pregnancy negatively, total working time at work (including any additional jobs) and at home must be taken into account in the occupational risk assessment. To sum up, we emphasize that preventive healthcare of pregnant working women should mainly include education programmes. Women need to know how to perform their work safely and pay attention to the scope and frequency of household tasks (duties). Med Pr 2015;66(5):713–724

The aim of the study was to document perinatal depression in mothers in the Maldives and associated factors. A cohort of 458 mothers was recruited at the 2 major hospitals in Malé, the Maldives, and followed from 36 weeks of pregnancy to 3 months after birth. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to measure maternal depression. Maternal sociodemographic factors and infant’s health were also recorded. The prevalence of depressive symptoms (EPDS score ≥13) at 36 weeks of pregnancy and at 1 and 3 months postpartum were 24%, 27%, and 12%, respectively. Having experienced stressful life events is an established risk factor for maternal depression across these time points. Having depressive symptoms during the postpartum period is significantly associated with presence of antenatal depressive symptoms. Future studies may look into effectiveness of strategies that cope with stressors in the management of maternal depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Central Asian Economic Review is the property of Narxoz University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper takes an initial step in studying the determinants of child domestic labour and its relationship with mothers’ employment in Turkey. We focus on children that are responsible for performing the domestic chores in their households. Using household level data from Demographic and Health Survey (2003), we find that the probability of child domestic labour is greater if the oldest child in the household is female; and this is stronger in rural areas. We also find that the likelihood of child domestic labour decreases with parental education. Our findings also suggest that the unobservable factors that increase the probability that a mother works increases the probability of child domestic labour in urban areas, but the opposite is true for rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aim of the study was to determine household chores and leisure-time activities most affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to evaluate the perceived impact on performing these activities. Also, our aim was to estimate the required and received assistance for household chores. In an interview study via telephone, 124 patients with moderate-to-severe RA, visiting a tertiary-level dermatological clinic, listed spontaneously without predefined list the household chores and leisure-time activities that they considered were particularly affected by the RA. Ability to perform household chores and leisure-time activities were asked. The need for outside assistance with household chores and help received were also determined. Rheumatoid arthritis affected wide range of everyday household activities, with tasks related to cleaning of the house mentioned most often. Eleven of the categories out of 16 were similar to those included in the HAQ index. The majority of the patients (84.6 %) reported disadvantage in performing household chores because of RA. More than half of the patients (55.7 %) received assistance with household chores, women significantly more often than men (69.0 vs. 26.3 %, p < 0.01). Most of the household chores mentioned were physically demanding. Leisure-time activities listed by respondents as affected by RA were mostly related to sport. The majority of patients (77.2 %) had either reduced or completely given up at least one leisure-time activity. When estimating the total burden of the disease, the impact on both household chores and leisure-time activities should be taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]