New research by Professor Man-Yee Kan and Dr Grace Chang shows that teenage girls around the world spend more time on domestic work than boys – with the largest gender gaps found in Western societies, though still pronounced in East Asia.
Additionally, in East Asia, teenage boys have more time to spend on exercise and leisure than girls.
Despite cultural differences, the study found that gender inequalities in how teenagers spend their time remain deeply entrenched.
The paper used over 290,000 harmonised time-diary entries from adolescents aged 10–17 in South Korea, Japan, the UK, and Finland across three decades (1985–1990, 1991–2000, 2001–2010).
Participants logged their daily activities in 10- or 15-minute slots, covering sleep and personal care, education, domestic work, general leisure, sports and exercise, and TV/radio.
While boys and girls spent similar amounts of time on ‘essential’ activities like sleep, personal care, and education, significant gendered differences appeared in other areas. Globally, girls devoted more time to domestic work, while boys had greater access to leisure and physical activity.
The study also highlighted geographic differences – East Asian adolescents spend approximately half an hour less on sleep and personal care and double the amount of time on education-related activities than their Western counterparts (about 6–7 hours compared to 3–4 hours). This East-West divide persists across the three decades.
Additionally, East Asian teenagers spend considerably less time on sport and exercise than their Western counterparts. Korean girls in particular spend very little time on sports and exercise – only 5–8 minutes per day – compared to boys, who averaged around 20 minutes.
By looking at data across three decades, the paper was able to note changes over time. In Western countries, gender gaps had narrowed slightly since the 1980s, whereas in East Asian contexts, they remained stable.
These trends broadly align with patterns observed among adults, where gender gaps in time use remain wider and have been closing more slowly in East Asian countries than in Western ones.
The study suggests these differences may reflect cultural norms. Confucian-based parenting practices in East Asia often emphasise hierarchy, discipline, and academic achievement, leaving teenagers with less autonomy and fewer opportunities for leisure or sport.
By contrast, Western parenting styles tend to prioritise individual autonomy and balance between education, sport and leisure.
The paper concludes that examining how adolescents spend their time provides crucial insights into the roots of adult gender inequality:
Understanding adolescent behaviours enables demographers to identify early life cycle factors contributing to gender inequality, examine their effect on transitions to adulthood, and assess their long-term implications for population change and behaviour.
Future research should probe deeper into the cultural and social drivers of these gaps, and how they shape economic and social outcomes in later life.
