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Domestic Work and Health
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Domestic Work and Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 4813

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Anu Molarius

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Centre for Clinical Research, Region Värmland, 651 85 Karlstad, Sweden
2. Department of Public Health Sciences, Karlstad University, 651 88 Karlstad, Sweden
Interests: health inequalities; social determinants of health; population studies; public health epidemiology; self-rated health; mental health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Numerous studies have investigated the effects of employment and working conditions on population health, but the effects of unpaid domestic work have been much less studied even though domestic work has a large impact on the everyday life of millions of people. For example, unpaid work has an estimated value of 33% of the GDP in Canada, with nearly two thirds of this unpaid work being carried out by women (WHO, 2008). Previous studies on domestic work and health have been based on different theories and produced some conflicting findings, and in many previous studies, the study population has only included women. Since domestic work is affecting numerous people worldwide, it is important to investigate the health effects of unpaid domestic work in the general population, to improve the theoretical basis and methods to measure different types and aspects of domestic work and to investigate the causal relationship between unpaid domestic work and health. 

This Special Issue invites population-based studies on the association between unpaid domestic work and health, especially mental health. Longitudinal studies as well as studies on related costs are particularly appreciated. In addition, studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on unpaid domestic work and health are welcomed. 

Dr. Anu Molarius
Guest Editor

Reference 

World Health Organization. Closing the Gap in A Generation: Health Equity Through Action on the Social Determinants of Health. CSDH: Final Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health; World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland, 2008.

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Domestic work
  • Gender
  • Population studies
  • Self-rated health
  • Mental health

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 314 KiB  
Article
The Association between Time Spent in Domestic Work and Mental Health among Women and Men
by Anu Molarius and Alexandra Metsini
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4948; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064948 - 11 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1417
Abstract
Background: Unpaid domestic work has been found to be negatively associated with mental health, especially among women, in previous studies but the measures of domestic work vary. The aim of this study was to elucidate the association between time spent in domestic work [...] Read more.
Background: Unpaid domestic work has been found to be negatively associated with mental health, especially among women, in previous studies but the measures of domestic work vary. The aim of this study was to elucidate the association between time spent in domestic work and mental health in the general population. Method: The study is based on 14,184 women and men aged 30–69 years who responded to a survey questionnaire in Central Sweden in 2017 (overall response rate: 43%). Multivariate logistic regression models, adjusting for age group, educational level, family status, employment status, economic difficulties, and social support, were used to study the association between hours spent in domestic work and depressive symptoms and self-reported diagnosed depression, respectively. Results: In total, 26.7% of the respondents reported depressive symptoms and 8.8% reported diagnosed depression. No independent associations between hours spent in domestic work and depressive symptoms were found. Among women, the lowest prevalence of depression was found among those who spend 11–30 h per week in domestic work. Among men, the prevalence of self-reported diagnosed depression was highest among those who spend 0–2 h per week in domestic work, but no other statistically significant associations between time spent in domestic work and depression were found. In addition, a strong dose–response relationship was found between experiencing domestic work as burdensome and both depressive symptoms and self-reported diagnosed depression among women and men. Conclusion: Investigating time spent in unpaid domestic work may not be sufficient to assess the association between exposure to domestic work and mental health. Conversely, strain in domestic work may be a more important factor contributing to the prevalence of poor mental health in the general population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Domestic Work and Health)
12 pages, 341 KiB  
Article
What Type of Housework Happiness Do You Prefer? Does Gender and Health Matter? A Taiwanese Study
by Ching-Fen Lee and Shain-May Tang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8409; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148409 - 09 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1571
Abstract
The purposes of this study was to discover the circumstances in which people gain happiness from performing housework and to understand gender differences in housework-related happiness. We used national data from the Taiwan Social Change Survey conducted in 2011. Only married and cohabiting [...] Read more.
The purposes of this study was to discover the circumstances in which people gain happiness from performing housework and to understand gender differences in housework-related happiness. We used national data from the Taiwan Social Change Survey conducted in 2011. Only married and cohabiting respondents were included in this study (N = 1250). Two types of housework happiness were developed: the goal satisfaction type (GST) and the activity enjoyment type (AET), based on interview results in pilot studies and the concept of positive psychology. We found that the significant variables on the two types of housework-related happiness for the total sample were gender, socioeconomic status, gender role attitude, decision-making power, relative feminine housework, and respondent’s health. In addition, the effects on the two types of housework-related happiness for males and females are different. Most people derive happiness from housework if their preferences for type of housework and their personal characteristics are matched. It is possible to transform an otherwise monotonous daily activity into a source of happiness through the process of understanding your housework preference type, learning to enjoy the beauty of housework, and creating fun with chores for families. However, the survey (TSCS) used in this study was carried out over 10 years ago (2011) and the results may be somewhat different in Taiwan today. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Domestic Work and Health)

Review

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18 pages, 1132 KiB  
Review
Domestic Factors as Determinant of Sickness Absence with Psychiatric Disorders: A Scoping Review of Nordic Research Published between 2010–2019
by Gunnel Hensing, Varsha Rajagopalan and Carin Staland-Nyman
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(13), 6292; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20136292 - 04 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1224
Abstract
Uneven division of domestic factors may contribute to sex differences in sickness absence with psychiatric disorders. The aim of this scoping review was to compile current Nordic research on domestic factors and sickness absence with psychiatric disorders. A systematic search was performed to [...] Read more.
Uneven division of domestic factors may contribute to sex differences in sickness absence with psychiatric disorders. The aim of this scoping review was to compile current Nordic research on domestic factors and sickness absence with psychiatric disorders. A systematic search was performed to identify studies from the Nordic countries published between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2019. Twelve studies were included. Marital status, family situation, work-home interference (in both directions), social affiliation, and loss of child/young adult (suicide, accident, or natural death) were identified as measures of domestic factors. In 8 of the 12 studies, domestic factors were used as co-variates, while four used them as the main exposure. Social affiliation, home-to-work conflict, and total workload were not associated with the outcome. One study found that parents with children older than two years, widows/widowers, and those divorced or unmarried had an increased risk of sickness absence with psychiatric disorders. One study found that work-to-home conflict was associated with sickness absence with stress-related diagnoses in men, and with other mental disorders in women. Finally, one study found that losing a son or daughter aged 16–24 years increased the risk of future sickness absence with a psychiatric disorder regardless of the cause of death. Future studies need to develop concepts, study designs, and measurements to move this research area further. In particular, the concept of “unpaid domestic work” needs theoretical and empirical development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Domestic Work and Health)
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