Housework share and fertility preference in four East Asian countries in 2006 and 2012

Abstract

Background: Previous research suggested that husbands’ participation in housework is positively associated with fertility choices for both women and men. We tested this association by using data of four East Asian countries. Objective: This paper examines whether the positive association between gender-equal sharing of housework participation and fertility intention in China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan has strengthened between 2006 and 2012. Methods: We harmonize two datasets, the 2006 East Asian Social Survey and the 2012 International Social Survey Programme. We employ OLS and ordered logit models estimators to test the association between husband’s housework participation and the ideal number of children. Results: In both 2006 and 2012, husband’s participation in housework is associated with both own and partner’s fertility intentions in 2006 and 2012. The association between the domestic division of labour and fertility has not changed between 2006 and 2012. Conclusions: Corroborating the findings of our earlier paper the results suggest that a more gender-equal domestic division of labour in East Asia is associated with higher fertility intentions in this region. The gender revolution framework offers a plausible explanation for the East Asian fertility trends between 2006 and 2012. The findings suggest that there is a stall in the pace of the gender revolution. Contribution: This paper provides a summary of the trends highlighted by the contributors to this special issue. This is also the first paper to look at the evolution of domestic division of labour and fertility preferences in four East Asian countries over time.