Gender, Ethnicity and Unpaid Domestic Work Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in mandatory work-from-home arrangements and the closure of schools and daycare centres, placing an additional burden on families. Using an online survey carried out during the second Movement Control Order in January 2021, this survey was about who is responsible for housework and childcare work and the subjective time pressure, spare time and satisfaction. Our results indicated that housework and childcare were shouldered by women rather than men during both periods, i.e., before and during the pandemic. In addition, housework and childcare were viewed by many women as either their sole or shared responsibilities with their partners. Contrarily, many men believed that housework and childcare should be shared or fully borne by their spouses. The gender differences in managing domestic responsibilities persist before and during the pandemic. Furthermore, the findings conclude that there is a significant association between gender and unpaid domestic work responsibilities for certain ethnic groups and not all ethnic groups within both periods. Our findings also revealed that during the pandemic, most women reported time pressure and dissatisfaction towards the division of housework and childcare among couples. Overall, reducing women’s burden of unpaid domestic work and improving their well-being is crucial.