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Paid Work, Unpaid Work, and Time Poverty: A Quantitative Analysis of Gender Differences from the 2022 China Family Panel Studies

Xiang, Yuqing LU (2026) SIMZ51 20261
Master of Science in Social Scientific Data Analysis
Abstract
Gendered time allocation has been widely studied in China, yet research on gender differences in time poverty remains relatively limited. Using individual-level data from the 2022 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this thesis examines gender gaps in paid work, unpaid work and total workload among employed adults aged 18–59 in China, and compares the prevalence, depth, severity and composition of time poverty between men and women. Adjusted estimates showed that women’s weekly paid work time was 4.6 hours less than that of men, whereas they spent 9.7 more hours on unpaid work, resulting in an approximately five-hour greater total workload. Under the two time-poverty thresholds adopted in the analysis, women’s adjusted probability of... (More)
Gendered time allocation has been widely studied in China, yet research on gender differences in time poverty remains relatively limited. Using individual-level data from the 2022 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this thesis examines gender gaps in paid work, unpaid work and total workload among employed adults aged 18–59 in China, and compares the prevalence, depth, severity and composition of time poverty between men and women. Adjusted estimates showed that women’s weekly paid work time was 4.6 hours less than that of men, whereas they spent 9.7 more hours on unpaid work, resulting in an approximately five-hour greater total workload. Under the two time-poverty thresholds adopted in the analysis, women’s adjusted probability of experiencing time poverty was 8.3 and 7.2 percentage points higher, respectively, while their time-poverty depth and severity were also significantly greater. Among the time- poor population, men were relatively more concentrated in the category of excessive paid work alone, while women were more represented in categories involving the accumulation of paid and unpaid work. The gender gap in time poverty was greater among married or cohabiting adults, while the interaction associated with the presence of minor children was not statistically significant under either threshold. By distinguishing different workload configurations, this thesis advances the understanding of how paid and unpaid work combine to shape the gendered patterns of time poverty. These findings highlight the need for policies to address time poverty by targeting both long paid working hours and the unequal distribution of unpaid work within households. (Less)
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author
Xiang, Yuqing LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMZ51 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Time poverty, Gender differences, Time-use allocation, Paid work, Unpaid work, Workload composition, China
language
English
id
9249968
date added to LUP
2026-09-02 15:32:42
date last changed
2026-09-02 15:32:42
@misc{9249968,
  abstract     = {{Gendered time allocation has been widely studied in China, yet research on gender differences in time poverty remains relatively limited. Using individual-level data from the 2022 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this thesis examines gender gaps in paid work, unpaid work and total workload among employed adults aged 18–59 in China, and compares the prevalence, depth, severity and composition of time poverty between men and women. Adjusted estimates showed that women’s weekly paid work time was 4.6 hours less than that of men, whereas they spent 9.7 more hours on unpaid work, resulting in an approximately five-hour greater total workload. Under the two time-poverty thresholds adopted in the analysis, women’s adjusted probability of experiencing time poverty was 8.3 and 7.2 percentage points higher, respectively, while their time-poverty depth and severity were also significantly greater. Among the time- poor population, men were relatively more concentrated in the category of excessive paid work alone, while women were more represented in categories involving the accumulation of paid and unpaid work. The gender gap in time poverty was greater among married or cohabiting adults, while the interaction associated with the presence of minor children was not statistically significant under either threshold. By distinguishing different workload configurations, this thesis advances the understanding of how paid and unpaid work combine to shape the gendered patterns of time poverty. These findings highlight the need for policies to address time poverty by targeting both long paid working hours and the unequal distribution of unpaid work within households.}},
  author       = {{Xiang, Yuqing}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Paid Work, Unpaid Work, and Time Poverty: A Quantitative Analysis of Gender Differences from the 2022 China Family Panel Studies}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}