Resources, Time and Gender: Determinants of Women's Housework in Bahir Dar and nearby Rural Villages, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Women's disproportionate engagement in housework and its determinants has been relatively well studied in the developed countries. There is, however, a serious lack of such research for less developed countries. Unless the barriers to women's participation in development efforts are understood and addressed, poverty reduction programs may not succeed. This paper used data from a household survey of 502 married women to analyze determinants of women's hours of housework in light of available theories and employing a multivariate hierarchical linear regression model. Results show that, in line with theory and past research, time availability (measured as women's employment status) and resources or bargaining power (measured as years of schooling and loan receipt status), and gender ideology/display (measured as traditional gender perception/practice) have statistically significant negative associations with a woman's housework time. Similarly, traditional gender perception/practice as a measure of gender ideology/display has the expected positive association with a woman's housework time, despite the weaker statistical significance level. Also, among control variables, housework and non-housework performed by other members, number of young children, and household asset values have the expected associations to women's hours of housework. National strategies aiming at poverty reduction may need to pay more attention to educate women, help them overcome shortage of working capital, and improve employment opportunities since these may also empower women and thereby minimize traditional gender ideology/display and having too many young children.

Intrahousehold Allocation of Household Production: A Comparative Analysis for Sub-Saharan African Countries

“…In most instances, the analyses on the distribution of unpaid care work have been descriptive and based on gender, age bracket, and other socioeconomic variables. Studies that use econometric regressions in estimating the determinants of unequal distribution of unpaid care work in sub-Saharan Africa are relatively few (Getahun 2018;Costa et al 2009;Robles 2010;Simister 2013;Wodon and Ying 2010;Lawson 2008;Arora 2015;Herrera and Torelli 2013;Ndlovu, Mohapatra, and Luckert 2018). Most empirical analyses use standard linear regression models to analyze how hours are allocated, but some have also used binomial models (probit/logit) as well as censored regression model (Tobit) for the same purpose (Robles 2010;Wodon and Ying 2010;Getahun 2018;Costa et al 2009).…”

“…Studies that use econometric regressions in estimating the determinants of unequal distribution of unpaid care work in sub-Saharan Africa are relatively few (Getahun 2018;Costa et al 2009;Robles 2010;Simister 2013;Wodon and Ying 2010;Lawson 2008;Arora 2015;Herrera and Torelli 2013;Ndlovu, Mohapatra, and Luckert 2018). Most empirical analyses use standard linear regression models to analyze how hours are allocated, but some have also used binomial models (probit/logit) as well as censored regression model (Tobit) for the same purpose (Robles 2010;Wodon and Ying 2010;Getahun 2018;Costa et al 2009). While linear regression models have been preferred for the analysis of women's household production, as most women engage in some level of household production, Tobit models are usually preferred when analyzing hours of allocation among men, because of the high rate of men with zero hours of household production.…”

“…A recent study on Ethiopia by Getahun (2018) investigated the determinants of women's unpaid care work employing a multivariate hierarchical linear regression model. The study finds that women's employment status, years of schooling, and loan receipt status have a negative significant association with housework time while traditional gender perception/practice has a weak significant positive association with housework time, thus supporting all three theoretical propositions.…”

“…There are mixed findings for the relationship between women's and men's education and time they spend on housework, as it can affect time allocation through changes in gender ideology, as well as increased financial resources and bargaining. Getahun (2018), using data for 502 married women in Bahir Dar and rural villages in northwest Ethiopia, finds that a husband's education has no effect on the wife's time spent on housework, whereas there is a negative relationship between a wife's education and her time spent on housework. Robles (2010) finds similar results for women in urban and rural Ethiopia.…”

“…In general, the presence of young children in the household increases the time women spend on household production, with extensive evidence from Ghana (Costa et al 2009), Ethiopia (Robles 2010;Getahun 2018), and Sierra Leone (Wodon and Ying 2010). In contrast, the number of children under the age of six years does not appear to affect the time men spend on housework, with only limited evidence to the contrary.…”