More or Less: Behind the Stats

Episode: Is Your Housework Split Sexist?

Host: Tim Harford (BBC Radio 4)
Guest: Corinne Lo, Associate Professor at Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Date: October 25, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode investigates whether the division of housework between men and women is influenced primarily by economics or entrenched gender roles, even in homes where women out-earn their male partners. Tim Harford interviews Corinne Lo about her research on household labor, explicitly drawing on survey data from the US, UK, and Australia and exploring the persistent imbalance of unpaid housework in couples—especially when women are the primary breadwinners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Gender Revolution in Work and Housework

• Women's Changing Roles:
  • Since the 1960s, women have steadily increased their paid market work. Their hours spent on housework decreased initially, thanks to technological advances, but have since plateaued.
  • Men, however, have shown little change in either paid work or housework since the mid-1970s.
  • Quote:
    • “Women have undergone a gender revolution, but men haven’t…what we see for men is that their time is just completely flat.”
      — Corinne Lo (02:29)

2. Specialization and Efficiency in the Household

• Economic Theory of Specialization:
  • Traditionally, economics suggests that efficiency in a household often involves specialization, where one partner focuses on paid work while the other takes on more home tasks.
  • This could justify some imbalance in housework if aligned with earning power.
  • Quote:
    • “There can be these kind of big returns, what we call convex returns, where it kind of skyrockets if you put a little bit more effort into your labor in the workforce.”
      — Corinne Lo (03:51)

3. The Persistent Gendered Imbalance—Even When Women Earn More

• Surprising Findings:
  • Even when the woman is the main or sole breadwinner, she continues to undertake much more of the housework—almost double in cooking and cleaning—than her lower-earning male partner.
  • In contrasts, in same-sex couples, the breadwinner generally does less housework, regardless of gender.
  • Quote:
    • “When it is a heterosexual couple with a female breadwinner, that's the only time the breadwinner does more of the housework.”
      — Corinne Lo (05:56)

4. Testing the Theories: Divorce and Economic Incentives

• Results After Separation:

  • After divorce, women's housework decreases while men's increases—suggesting that men are fully capable of housework but weren't contributing before.
  • Quote:
    • “When they're divorced, the woman's time doing housework goes down and the man's...goes up. ...suddenly when they get divorced, he finds the broom, he learns how to boil water, right?”
      — Corinne Lo (06:32)

• Wage Ratios and Housework:

  • Even when wives earn much more than their husbands (e.g., she’s a nurse, he’s a driver), men’s share of housework does not increase.

  • Quote:

    • “Men's time just doesn't budge across those ratios.”
      — Corinne Lo (07:24)

  • Men’s jobs being less flexible is often given as an excuse, but data from industries with flexible, hourly wage jobs still shows women outpacing men in housework, even when women’s earnings dwarf men’s.

  • Quote:

    • “She still works fewer hours than him. ...they would literally have more money in their household budget ...But something’s holding them back. ...something is gender roles.”
      — Corinne Lo (08:10 & 08:57)

5. Global Patterns and Cultural Universality

• Not Only an American Phenomenon:
  • Similar patterns found in the UK and Australia; housework inequality is common worldwide.
  • As women’s economic power grows globally, the issue of “housework inequality” is becoming more prominent.
  • Quote:
    • “This housework inequality was very common in a lot of other countries. And it becomes more of an issue...as women's earning power grows.”
      — Corinne Lo (09:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Economic Theory vs. Reality:
  “If women were just doing more home production because they did less market work...that would be fine...But what I find...is that when the woman is actually the breadwinner, she still does more home production.”
  — Corinne Lo (04:40)

• On Divorce Unveiling Capabilities:
  “When they're divorced...suddenly when they get divorced, he finds the broom, he learns how to boil the water, right?”
  — Corinne Lo (06:32)

• On Gender Roles Entrenching Inequality:
  “We were left with no choice but to conclude that something is...gender roles.”
  — Corinne Lo (08:57)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:08] – Introduction by Tim Harford
• [02:29] – Corinne Lo on time-use data and the "partial gender revolution"
• [03:51] – Specialization theory and its limitations in practice
• [04:40] – Examination of breadwinner status vs. housework burden
• [06:32] – Divorce as a test for economic rationality in housework division
• [07:24] – Wage ratios and stubborn patterns in men's housework contributions
• [08:57] – Concluding observation: Gender roles as the underlying mechanism
• [09:12] – Global findings and cross-country replication of results

Conclusion

The episode robustly challenges economic and cultural assumptions about how and why housework is divided. Across the US, UK, and Australia, the “female breadwinner” paradox persists: heterosexual women who earn more than their partners still do the bulk of unpaid home labor. Corinne Lo’s research strongly suggests that economic rationality alone can’t explain these patterns; deeply ingrained gender roles continue to dictate the division of domestic labor in ways that resist market logic.

The discussion is candid, data-driven, and relevant, revealing not only how far gender equality has come—but also the stubborn persistence of sexist patterns at home, regardless of who brings home the paycheck.

For further reading, Corinne Lo’s book is titled Feminomics (UK) / Having It All (US).