Most East Asian adults believe men, women should share family responsibilities: survey
A new survey reveals that large majorities of people in East Asia believe men and women should share familial responsibilities.
The results: The survey, which was conducted by the Pew Research Center from June to September 2023 in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, found that both men and women believe that responsibilities, including earning money, making financial decisions and caring for children and looking after aging family members, should be shared between partners.
Approximately three-quarters or more of the respondents in these countries expressed this viewpoint, with over 80% supporting the idea of shared responsibility for earning money.
Differences by gender: However, there are gender differences in perceptions, as men are more likely than women in four out of five places surveyed to believe that men should primarily handle earning money, with the widest gender gaps observed in South Korea (21%) and Taiwan (13%). Similar patterns are observed regarding financial management.
In contrast, women in some places, including Vietnam, Hong Kong and Japan, are slightly more inclined than men to believe that women should be primarily responsible for childcare and elderly family members. For instance, 18% of women in Hong Kong express this view compared to 13% of men.
Differences by age, education, marital status: Differences in opinions based on age, education and marital status are also evident. Adults aged 18 to 34 are slightly more inclined than older adults to support the idea that men and women should share familial responsibilities. For example, in Taiwan, 88% of younger adults advocate for shared responsibility for moneymaking, compared to 80% of those aged 35 and older.
Additionally, individuals with higher education levels and/or those who have never been married were more likely than those with lower education levels and/or those who have married to express the belief that men and women should share responsibilities across various tasks.
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