Who is Doing the Housework in Chinese Families in Malaysia?

There are limited studies focusing on the amount of time spent on housework and the predictors that influence men’s share of weekly housework time relative to their spouses in Chinese families in Malaysia. Quantitative empirical data on the housework time shouldered by couples in Chinese families and the predictors that influence men’s share of weekly housework time relative to their spouses in Chinese families have not been possible due to the lack of a time use survey and no available data in Malaysia. This study adopts a quantitative approach to examine the amount of time spent on housework in Chinese families in Malaysia. Also, it examines the predictors that influence men’s share of weekly housework time relative to their spouses in the Chinese families. Using an online survey (n = 283 female respondents), the findings indicated that housework was shouldered by Chinese women rather than men, with women spending approximately 5 hours and 13 minutes per week more than men in Chinese families. The findings suggest that men shared less than half of the housework tasks at home with their spouses. In addition, the findings suggest that men increased their share of housework tasks when their spouses earned more than them. This implies that negotiation occurs within Chinese couples with women using their earnings to bargain out of housework. In sum, the findings revealed that although Chinese wives shouldered most of the housework tasks, they could bargain out from the housework and do less housework if they earned more than their husbands.