Study Finds Korean Husbands Do Least Housework in OECD

Article from Yonhap News:

OECD Study: Korean Husbands Ranks Lowest in Sharing Housework

Korean married men spend a daily average of 45 minutes in doing housework, with 10 minutes for childcare and 21 minutes for housekeeping.

A report, published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), revealed that Korea ranks lowest in a survey of hours husbands spend doing housework in 29 countries.

Conducted to mark Women’s Day on March 8th, the OECD analysis, based on statistics compiled from countries on how husbands spend their time, found that Korean husbands spend an average of 45 minutes doing house chores and childcare, disgracefully placing last following India, Japan and China.

For Korean husbands, looking after children takes up 10 minutes, followed by Japan with seven minutes and India with six minutes. When it comes to house cleaning and doing laundry, Korean husbands takes the penultimate spot with 21 minutes spent, only followed by Indian counterparts with 19 minutes.

Infographic based on  a report released by the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation, shows houseworking time by men in coutries.

Titled, “Please Help Your wife with Housework,” Infographic, based on a report released by the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation, shows Korean husbands spend the least time doing housework in the OECD countries.

In stark contrast, Danish husbands top the list with 186 minutes spent in housework, followed by Norwegian and Australian husbands with 184 and 172 minutes respectively.

The report shows that Danish men’s house working time is comprised of taking care of families (20 minutes), housework (107 minutes), and shopping (22 minutes).

Husbands in three Northeastern countries – South Korea, Japan and China – and Turkey, Mexico, India, etc. spend remarkably little time sharing housework with their wife.

[…]

The OECD said in its analysis that women’s presence in social activity has increased over the past 50 years, which has diminished their unpaid work time. However, the decrease has not been offset by a rise in the time men spend in doing household work.

Comments from Daum:

항우:

Then, what place does Korea take in the amount of working hours? How many hours do Danish men work outside the home? When you cherry-pick data, you end up talking nonsense…

가글하세요: [responding to above]

Simple statistical figures don’t tell you the whole story. Does South Korea have as good labor systems and childcare support as Northern European countries? Ke ke ke, talk about equality in the right context, ke ke ke. 

웃기지마: [responding to 항우]

Even if men or women want to have babies and raise them, it is extremely hard to get home from work early because of insanely long overtime. Even if they are willing to share housework, men are tied to their workplace by their superiors. Is there any time to spend with lovely wives and babies? How can we do house chores when we go home just to sleep?

진아: [responding to 항우]

Some married women also work and do overtime. Why are women expected to take care of all house chores and children even when they are working?

고길동:

I’d be really happy to help with housework. I respect my wife, and love my son.. As a self-employed breadwinner, however, I work more than 12 hours a day, and we are still struggling. If I have to help with house chores on top of that, I might as well be a slave. If my wife can go out to make money, then I’d rather choose to be a stay-at-home dad.

낚시하까: [responding to above]

Just try to help with housework whenever possible. Also, cut down on drinking.

ㅇㅇ: [responding to 고길동]

In this comment section, there are many women who seem to think their husbands bring money home after just killing time at work. Housewives can regularly take breaks after sending four or five-year-old kids to daycare. Do you think husbands can do something like that at work?

어슴프레한하늘: [responding to 고길동]

Don’t make such a comparison. Do you think housewives’ work is less hard? No. Try doing housework as much as your wife does. I would welcome you even if you don’t make money.

정의:

The problem is that even if a couple has a dual income, the wife does more housework.

스커틀:

Isn’t it too hard on Korean men who top the list of deaths from overworking?

진아: [responding to above]

Then, do you think the women who have a job, work overtime and even do housekeeping are immortal?

morrissey:

Korea would also rank lowest in how equally men and women take on workloads. I don’t mean to divide between genders, but just want to say that rights and duties should be equally shared between men and women. I bet women in few other countries in the world are more dependent on men than women in Korea except those in underdeveloped countries.

baskia502: [responding to above]

That’s because Korean society provides poor working conditions for women. Even if married women want to continue working, employers hope they quit after marriage. On top of it, after a working woman gives birth to her child, one member of the couple has to quit working in order to provide childcare and most times it is the woman who quits. Please comment after realizing that Korean society is hard on working women.

aesyks:

Men’s lack of contribution to housework explains why women are unwilling to have babies. All problems lie in men. They just want to take wives to bed for sex, but are hardly cooperative in housework.

예의범절 악플러:

This journalist wench has something against men. Denmark and Norway ranked first and second in a survey of happiness released by the United Nations, and are welfare states having the shortest working hours for men in the world. The men there don’t break their neck working. They can leave work at 3 or 4 p.m. to enjoy free time. For a legitimate comparison, the journalist bitch should have also compared working hours among the countries mentioned, including Korea. Please name me a country where men equally share housework with their wives while they work outside much longer than women.

별명없음:

The majority of Korean men suffer long working hours with low wages. To feed families, 24 hours a day is not enough. So Korean men spend little time at home. This article with its absurd data presentation attempts to stomp on Korean men who are already down.

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