Women's Household Labor Value Still Three Times That of Men: 16.46 Million Won for Women, 6.05 Million Won for Men

The economic value generated by one woman through household labor has been estimated at approximately 16.46 million won. Although men's participation in housework has increased noticeably and women's economic activity has expanded, the gender gap is gradually narrowing. However, the proportion of housework performed by men still remains at about one-third that of women.

On April 29, the Ministry of Data and Statistics announced the results of the "2024 Household Production Satellite Account (Valuation of Unpaid Household Labor)." The Household Production Satellite Account is an indicator that converts the value of unpaid household labor-such as meal preparation, cleaning, and caregiving, which are not included in income statistics-into monetary terms. This value is estimated by multiplying the time spent on housework by the population and the replacement wage.

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As of 2024, the total value of unpaid household labor reached 582.4 trillion won, an increase of 20.0% compared to five years ago. The average daily household labor time per person decreased by five minutes (3.8%), from 137 minutes in 2019 to 132 minutes in 2024. However, the overall valuation rose due to the influx of 1,082,000 people into the housework population and a 21.6% increase in the hourly replacement wage.

The per capita value of household labor also increased by 20.0% over five years, reaching 11.25 million won. The total value of unpaid household labor is equivalent to 22.8% of nominal gross domestic product (GDP). However, the proportion of household labor value relative to GDP declined by 1.0 percentage point compared to the previous survey in 2019 (23.8%).

Despite the overall increase in valuation, the share relative to GDP fell slightly due to a combination of the marketization of housework and technological advances. Lim Kyeongeun, Director of Economic Statistics Planning at the Ministry of Data and Statistics, explained, "With the increased use of food delivery services, housework is being outsourced, and the rise in women’s employment rates has also reduced the total hours spent on housework within households. In addition, the development of home appliances such as dryers and clothing care devices has shortened actual labor time."

Although the gender gap in household labor has narrowed, the difference in economic value remains substantial. The per capita value of household labor for women was estimated at 16.46 million won, compared to 6.05 million won for men. This means the value of housework performed by one woman is about 2.7 times that of a man. However, the gap has narrowed considerably compared to five years ago, when it was 3.2 times.

This is because the per capita value of men's household labor surged by 35.7% compared to five years ago (from 4.46 million won), far outpacing the 14.9% increase for women. The share of men in the total value of household labor also rose by 3.0 percentage points, from 23.8% in 2019 to 26.9% in 2024.

Notably, the value of unpaid household labor for men increased across the board, regardless of employment or marital status. Employed men saw an increase of 32.7%, while unemployed men experienced a 40.6% surge, both surpassing the rate of increase among women. Unmarried men saw a 68.7% rise, and married men increased by 28.9%, also outpacing the growth rates for unmarried (47.2%) and married (12.7%) women. According to the Ministry, the rise in single-person households led to increased housework time among unmarried men, while the share of housework performed by married men within households also grew.

The latest survey results clearly reflect recent social changes such as low birth rates, population aging, the surge in single-person households, and the rise of the "pet family" trend. By household size, the value of unpaid household labor in single-person households surged by 66.2% over five years, reflecting the trend toward later marriages and the shift toward single-person household structures.

By type, the value of "household management"-which includes cleaning and meal preparation-saw the largest increase at 25.8%. In particular, the category of "caring for pets and plants" grew by 60.4% over five years, demonstrating the increase in households with pets and the popularity of keeping plants.

On the other hand, the value of "caring for family and household members" increased only slightly by 0.7%. Specifically, the value for caring for minors decreased by 1.8%, while the value for caring for adults surged by 20.8%, reflecting population decline and aging trends. It is also analyzed that the expansion of public care policies has shifted caregiving responsibilities from households to society.

By region, Sejong City recorded the highest growth rate nationwide, with a 42.3% increase over five years. This is attributed to the fact that Sejong City was the only municipality in the country to see an increase in its minor population, which led to an overall rise in the value of caregiving.

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