An important part of sociological understanding of how welfare regimes are shaped by culture and history derives from Esping-Andersen’s 'three worlds' account. But these worlds, and later developments in this field, including the extension and application of the framework to gender roles, derive exclusively from Western models. What will emerge as we seek to develop a global perspective on other models of welfare regimes and how they handle gender inequalities? We will answer this question, using newly available data deriving from beyond the conventional Anglophone and European theatres: from China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to explore patterns emerging from other cultural and social traditions.
GenTime is a study of gender inequality in time use across East Asian and Western societies. We investigate the development trajectories and provision of unpaid work in different welfare regimes and the systematic differences between men and women in the amount of time they spend on daily activities and their daily life schedules. We examine if East Asian regimes represent a distinct typology among the welfare regimes. The project will shed new light on the gender division of labour and social inequality.
