A survey found that women shoulder household labor for as long as 58 years, while for men it amounts to just 12 years.

According to the ‘2024 National Time Transfer Accounts’ released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on the 23rd, the household labor burden for women begins to rise in earnest at age 26 and continues through 84. By contrast, the contribution to housework for men increases from age 32, then after 44 they shift to being net recipients of care and household labor. In other words, women (58 years) bear household labor for nearly five times as long as men (12 years).

However, compared with five years ago (2019), the figure for men increased by 4 years (8→12 years), while for women it decreased by 3 years (61→58 years), narrowing the gap.

The National Time Transfer Accounts are statistics that convert into monetary value the production, consumption, and transfer of unpaid household labor such as meal preparation, cleaning, clothing care and other household management, family caregiving, and volunteer activities. When household labor production exceeds consumption it is recorded as a surplus, and when consumption is larger it is shown as a deficit.

As of 2024, the total value of household labor produced by women was 425.8 trillion won, about 2.7 times that of men (156.6 trillion won).

By age, the peak burden of household labor occurred at age 39 for women and 38 for men. At those ages, the value of household labor was 19.19 million won and 2.5 million won, respectively, meaning women bore 7.7 times more housework than men.

Per capita household labor by age showed an ‘M-shaped’ pattern, peaking at age 40, then declining before rising again. For women, it decreased after age 40 and rose again at 65, while for men it declined after 39 and recorded a second peak at 74. This is attributed to increased at-home activity and time spent caring for grandchildren after retirement.

In particular, as children marry later, the timing of grandparents caring for grandchildren has also been pushed back. In 2019, the highest net outflow for caring for minors in other households was at ages 55∼64, but in 2024 it was highest among those aged 65 and older.

By age, the peak burden of household labor occurred at age 39 for women and 38 for men. At those ages, the value of household labor was 19.19 million won and 2.5 million won, respectively, meaning women bore 7.7 times more housework than men.

Per capita household labor by age showed an ‘M-shaped’ pattern, peaking at age 40, then declining before rising again. For women, it decreased after age 40 and rose again at 65, while for men it declined after 39 and recorded a second peak at 74. This is attributed to increased at-home activity and time spent caring for grandchildren after retirement.

In particular, as children marry later, the timing of grandparents caring for grandchildren has also been pushed back. In 2019, the highest net outflow for caring for minors in other households was at ages 55∼64, but in 2024 it was highest among those aged 65 and older.

[Editorial] Hard to believe Korean women are freed from household labor only at age 84

In South Korea, the burden of household tasks such as cleaning and childcare for women continues until age 84. For men, from age 44 they receive more care than the amount of housework they perform, a full 40 years earlier. These findings were confirmed in the ‘2024 National Time Transfer Accounts’ released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on the 23rd. The National Time Transfer Accounts convert into monetary value the unpaid household labor that is not captured in the national accounts (GDP), and were published for the first time this year. They allow us to gauge the household burden across an individual life cycle and show that the gender gap remains severe. Although men are taking part in household labor more than before, the structure in which women take on most of it remains unchanged.

The ministry analyzed trends by applying market wages for occupations performing similar work to household labor. Gender differences were stark in the period of ‘surplus’, during which the household labor produced exceeds the household labor consumed and one substitutes for others. Women entered surplus at age 26 and did not shift to deficit until 84, whereas men recorded a surplus from 32 and returned to deficit at 44. The surplus period for men was 12 years, but for women it was 58 years, 4.8 times longer. Looking at the life-cycle deficit, the men’s deficit totaled 107.571 trillion won, which in effect was covered by women’s sacrifices.

The problem is that even in old age, women are not freed from the yoke of household labor. Among those aged 65 and older, the total production value of household labor surged by 55.1% in five years. While the larger elderly population due to aging plays a major role, in essence, late-life childcare for grandchildren and caregiving by one older adult for another are being shifted squarely onto older women.

The purpose of assigning economic value to household labor is to grasp reality and improve it. The government and society must take seriously the reality of household labor being shifted to women, as revealed by this statistical analysis. To sustain national growth momentum, female labor force participation must increase, and work-life balance must be achieved so that care labor can be shared equally by men and women. We can no longer rely solely on the unilateral sacrifices of women. The responsibility for care must shift from households to society, and policy support and a comprehensive response to ease women’s household labor burden should be expedited. To find care solutions suited to South Korea in an era of low birthrates and population aging, a bold shift in thinking and measures are required.