Dual-Income Care Gap Narrows by 77 Minutes as Fathers Spend More Time Parenting

The gap between men and women in housework and childcare among dual-income households with children has narrowed by 1 hour and 17 minutes compared with 10 years ago, following changes including the introduction of the 52-hour workweek. At the 2026 Time Use Survey academic conference hosted by the National Data Office on the 16th, Jeon Ji-won, senior researcher at Seoul National University’s Center for International Migration and Inclusive Society, presented findings based on the 2014, 2019 and 2024 Time Use Surveys. The study found that the share of long-hour workers exceeding 52 hours a week fell to 14.8% in 2024, about half the 29.5% recorded in 2014, while average paid work time on weekdays declined by about 49 minutes over the decade. Although an absolute gap remains, fathers’ childcare time increased and mothers’ housework time decreased. Source: rss.donga.com