Fertility and Gender Based Inequality in House Work and Child Care among Working Couples in Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Demography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Ph.D. Candidate, Faculty of Social Problem, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Most of the studies on relationship between work and fertility in Iran has focused on paid work of women and have largely ignored the unpaid domestic work. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between gender inequality in domestic and childcare practices (for children under 7) among Iranian working couples and its possible consequences on their fertility decisions. Using Iranian time use survey data, the results indicated that increase in number of dependent children of the family significantly increases the working women's work load on child care and domestic work, and husband's meager participation in such chores indicate the existence of a significant gender gap in this regard. The Iranian working men compared with their working wives, do significantly much less work in the family. While in families with two dependent children, the working father, allocates only 8 hours and 49 minutes to paid and unpaid works, the working wife spends approximately 10 hours and 5 minutes doing such work in the family. In view of higher levels of domestic work and longer hours of child care duties, imposed upon them by more children and meager participation of men in such activities, expose Iranian working women to further role conflict, lost opportunity cost and further responsibilities in such magnitude that they might decide not to add any further children to their family. In sum feminization of unpaid work at home, for working mothers of Iran might lead to continued insistence of the families on low fertility and even further reduction of it in the future.

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