Osaka Workshop on Economics of Institutions and Organization (#158)

Japanese wives traditionally shoulder the homemaking burden while the husbands engage in paid labor. This study examines the shift in housework distribution in Japanese married couples following the husbands’ retirement and the related change in time availability. Using household panel data from 2011-2023, a dynamic staggered DID design is employed to examine up to five years surrounding retirement. The total time spent on chores increases following husbands’ retirement and continues to rise over time. Wives’ share of weekly chores drops temporarily, as reported by their husbands but not themselves, revealing a conflict in the perception of the burden. The distribution of domestic labor largely fails to turn more equitable after the husband retires. Moreover, elderly households depend on wives’ chores contributions, thus facing a potential welfare loss in case wives lose the ability to do housework.Abstract：Mirka Zvedelikova