Solo Dance? Gender Differences in Housework among Solo Households in the United States
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional survey study (by design analogy, not clinical CEBM)
OpenAlex W4321349465 · doi:10.31235/osf.io/9mruh
What was done
The authors analyzed gender differences in housework among never-married American men and women living in one-person households using nationally representative data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) collected between 2005 and 2019.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, or test statistics. Directionally, women in solo households spent more time on housework than men, and older adults spent more time on housework than younger adults. Education had only a modest association with housework time in solo households, and the influence of economic resources on housework was gender-neutral.
Why it matters
By isolating single-person households, the study helps differentiate whether gendered housework patterns stem from individual socialization or from dyadic bargaining and interaction within couples.
Limits
The abstract does not report sample size, response rates, or quantitative effect sizes. The study relies on self-reported time-use diaries and cross-sectional survey data, precluding causal inference regarding the mechanisms of gender socialization versus individual preferences.
Cited by
- partial Among matched controls of single men and women of the same age and race who live alone, women do 200% more housework than men.