In the Empty Nest: Housework and Adult Care Among Italians Aged 65 and Above

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Part of the SpringerBriefs in Sociology book series (BRIEFSSOCY)

Abstract

This chapter considers the allocation of housework time among women and men aged 65 and above. In this group, we find large differences by gender and household status, with differences between women and men being largest among couples and smallest among singles, once again pointing to the relevance of specialization even among an age group where above 90% of subjects are (no longer) employed. Despite the relatively low level of education among this group, the educational variable is still a rather strong predictor of housework time for these elder Italians. Area of residence also accounts for some of the time spent on chores by men while employment status has a significant effect for both genders. Moreover, age is an important predictor of housework time. Among the oldest of the old, gender differences in housework time virtually disappear. Average minutes on adult care as well as percentages of engaged subjects are very low, reinforcing the notion that time use data are not the best tool to study time on adult care.

Keywords

Domestic work Housework Adult care Gender differences Aging Life course Italy Italian time use survey 
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Copyright information

© The Author(s) 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.European University InstituteSan Domenico di FiesoleItaly

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