Introduction/objectives
Reproductive labour refers to activities and tasks directed at caregiving and domestic roles, such as cleaning, cooking, and childcare. Productive labour refers to activities ...that involve economic remuneration. The aim of the present study was to analyse physical activity, sedentary behaviour, physical fitness, and cognitive performance in women with fibromyalgia who engaged, or did not engage, in productive work.
Method
This cross-sectional study comprised 276 women with fibromyalgia from Andalusia (southern of Spain). Levels of physical activity (light, moderate, and vigorous) and sedentary behaviour were measured by an accelerometer. Physical fitness and cognitive performance were measured with a battery of performance-based tests.
Results
More hours/week of homemaker-related tasks were associated with higher time spend in light physical activity and lower sedentary behaviour (
P
< 0.001 and
P
< 0.05, respectively). Furthermore, in comparison with those who only engaged in reproductive labour, women with fibromyalgia who engaged in productive work showed lower levels of sedentary behaviour and higher levels of light and moderate physical activity, physical fitness (except muscular strength), and cognitive performance (all,
P
< 0.05).
Conclusions
Altogether, our findings suggest that productive work is consistently related to better physical and cognitive functioning in women with fibromyalgia. If future research corroborates causality of our findings, then, to maintain women with fibromyalgia engaging in productive work may be strived for not only because of societal or economic reasons but also for better health. However, we should keep in mind that people with fibromyalgia have a chronic condition, and therefore, adaptations at the workplace are imperative.
Key Points
•
Women with fibromyalgia, who spend more time in reproductive labour, have higher levels of light physical activity and lower sedentary behaviour; however, it is associated with poorer general health (as lower physical fitness or cognitive performance).
•
Household tasks are often seen as a responsibility associated with the gender roles that women with fibromyalgia perform, despite the feelings of incapacity they cause. Policies focused on reducing reproductive labour demands for fibromyalgia patients (i.e. social help on housework or childcare) might facilitate the inclusion of daily active behaviours.
•
People with fibromyalgia who engage in productive work seem to have better health outcomes than those who have not; however, we cannot forget that adaptations and flexibility at the workplace are imperative.
The involvement of children in household chores, a form of hidden child labor, has both positive and negative aspects. On the positive side, it contributes to their physical activity and fosters a ...sense of responsibility towards their families and society. However, there is an adverse effect on their school attendance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the children’s involvement in household chores in Bangladesh by examining the prevalence, duration, and controlling determinants. This study used the Chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression model to analyze the data of 39,509 children aged 5–17 years from MICS-2019. Approximately 58% of children participated in household activities, with around 69% of them being girls. About 14% of children had a chance of interruption in school attainment, while more than 6% were considered child laborers. Moreover, the study revealed that a child’s participation in household chores is significantly influenced by various key factors, including sex, age, the child’s education, the number of siblings, the mother’s education, division, and the family’s wealth status. Similarly, a child’s sex, age, education level, functional difficulties, and geographical region all had a notable influence on the duration of household activities. Furthermore, female children were almost threefold more likely to be involved in household chores than their male counterparts. Additionally, higher educated mothers and more wealthy families had a lower chance of involving their children in housekeeping chores. The study’s findings would help policymakers, social workers, and community leaders in developing appropriate strategies for involving children in household chores in order to increase their physical activity as well as family and social responsibility while ensuring that their school attainment is not hampered.
Variations in the incomes of a particular household member can lead to changes in their decision-making power within the household affecting several outcomes. This paper estimates the effects of the ...PANES program (Plan de Atención Nacional a la Emergencia Social), a cash transfer program focused on low-income households of Uruguay between 2005 and 2007, on four different outcomes: the probability of divorce, changes in household size, distribution of household chores, and the probability of women becoming heads of household. My identification strategy exploits the discontinuity in the program assignment of beneficiaries resulting from a continuous pre-treatment eligibility score. The program increased the probability of maintaining the same marital status and the stability of the household size. These results persist once beneficiaries stop receiving benefits, at least in the short term. No effects were found in the likelihood of performing household chores when considering all beneficiaries, but heterogeneous effects were observed depending on their gender. Despite women being the primary recipients of the program, no impacts were found on their probability of being heads of households. This paper shows how public policies can affect the private lives of program recipients on outcomes beyond the policy objectives. In particular, cash transfers and conditionalities can affect gender equality and the distribution of household chores.
Housework may provide a sustainable form of physical activity for older adults and improve health and survival outcomes. Longitudinal studies on associations between housework status over time and ...health outcomes are lacking. We aim to assess the longitudinal association of intensity and duration of housework with frailty and mortality outcomes.
Among 3270 community-dwelling prospective cohort study participants, aged ≥55 years, data on light housework (N=2996) and heavy housework (N=3022) were available at baseline (March 6, 2009, to June 11, 2013) and follow-up at 3 to 5 years later, (January 16, 2013 to August 24, 2018). Median time spent per week on light (≥420min/week) and heavy (>0min/week) household activities at baseline and follow-up were used to categorise individuals into three groups (i) consistent low levels of housework at both baseline and follow-up, (ii) inconsistent high levels of housework at either baseline or follow-up and (iii) consistent high levels of housework at both baseline and follow-up. Baseline and follow-up frailty index >0.10, and all-cause, cancer and cardiovascular mortality from mean 9.5 years follow-up to March 31, 2021. Effect estimates were adjusted for socio-demographics, nutritional risk, lifestyle and other physical activities.
Overall, participants had mean SD age, 66.9 7.8 years; 1916 62.7% were female. Participation in high levels of light and heavy housework consistently over time was associated with decreased odds of prefrailty/frailty at follow-up, OR,0.61;95%CI,0.40-0.94 and OR,0.56;95%CI,0.34-0.90 respectively, in the older group aged ≥65, compared to participants with consistent low levels of housework at baseline and follow-up. Sex-stratified analysis revealed an association between regular heavy housework participation and lower prevalence of prefrailty/frailty at follow-up in older men but not women OR,0.31;95%CI,0.13-0.72. Regular participation in high levels of light housework was associated with 41% lower risk of all-cause mortality 95%CI,0.36-0.96 in women but not in men, and 54% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality 95%CI,0.22-0.96.
Regular participation in above average levels of light housework is associated with decreased odds of prefrailty/frailty in older adults aged ≥65 years, and all-cause mortality in older women. Heavy housework participation is associated with decreased odds of prefrailty/frailty, especially in older men aged ≥65. Housework may be a meaningful occupation for older adults and should be encouraged for health and wellbeing.
The COVID-19 health crisis brought with it an increase in the workload on family members due to the restriction of services and the suspension of formal and informal care networks. Numerous studies ...have analyzed how home confinement have affected different gender gaps, including the gender gap related to chores within the home. This research aims to contribute to the existing literature from the perspective of gender geography by introducing the variable municipality size in the analyses. Our research in the case of Spain shows the COVID-19 health crisis to have had a significant impact on gender gaps, albeit to varying degrees. Women, especially those living in small municipalities, experienced a widening of the gap related to care and domestic workload during confinement. The study of the distribution of the more burdensome chores between genders shows an even more imbalanced scenario to the detriment of women. However, following the end of confinement, the situation improved. Although the imbalance against women remains, the gap with respect to the pre-pandemic situation has been reduced.
The article discusses the topic of experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the organisation of family life and the realisation of professional plans of mothers wishing to pursue their ...ambitions in the IT sector. The starting point for the considerations is a gender-sensitive analysis of the condition of the IT sector in Poland conducted on the basis of found data, complemented by an exploratory qualitative study conducted in two stages using the technique of Individual In-Depth Interviews (IDI). The study is part of the ongoing POB HERITAGE grant "Women, get to coding! Mapping educational initiatives supporting women. Pilot study".
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Survival in these patients has increased because of early diagnosis and multimodality treatment methods. Return to premorbid functional ...status after treatment is essential for rehabilitation and good quality of life. Many patients suffer from late treatment-related symptoms which affect their return to premorbid status. Various health-related and work-related variables also affect the return to premorbid status.
This is a cross-sectional study in which 98 patients with breast carcinoma who received curative treatment were included 6-12 months post-radiotherapy completion. Patients were interviewed to assess their type of work and hours of work prior to diagnosis and at the time of the study. The extent to which they are able to return to their pre-diagnosis level of work was noted and various factors that were hindering them were documented. Treatment-related symptoms were assessed using selected questions from NCI PRO-CTCAE (version 1.0) questionnaire.
The median age of diagnosis of patients included in the study was 49-50 years. The most common symptoms experienced by patients were fatigue (55%), pain (34%) and oedema (27%). 57% of patients were employed before diagnosis, of which only 20% were able to return to their employment post-treatment. All patients were involved in household work prior to diagnosis and 93% were able to get back to their routine household work, with 20% of patients requiring frequent work breaks. About 40% of patients reported social stigma as a factor that hindered them from returning to work.
Most patients return to household work post-treatment. Fatigue, pain and social stigma were the most common barriers to return to employment. Patient-reported outcomes and functional assessments can enable better survivorship care.
The theoretical inspiration for this article is D. H. J. Morgan’s theory of family practices. The COVID-19 pandemic affected various spheres of the society, including family practices, which D. H. J. ...Morgan (2011) defines as everyday processes and activities undertaken by family members. The aim of this article is to present – based on the conducted qualitative research in the form of interviews with mothers of small children – selected family practices that were developed during the pandemic in families raising small children. Parents’ ways of spending time, strategies for sharing household chores, spending more time only as a nuclear family, and loosening contacts with friends will all be discussed. The conducted research has shown that some family practices have been transformed as a result of changes that had been imposed on individuals by external regulations (e.g. regulations regarding subsequent lockdowns – the closure of offices, nurseries, kindergartens, cinemas, theaters, and even forests). On the one hand, closed institutions and remote work meant that parents began to spend more time with their children (or next to their children) while caring for them and performing professional duties at the same time, and some men became more involved in household chores and childcare. On the other hand, partners ceased to be able to leave the house without children, and direct contacts between grandparents and grandchildren were significantly reduced.
More than a half of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients experienced a moderate negative effect on their household chores due to their IBD. The negative effect was more common amongst women.
Objetivo: bajo la perspectiva de la economía circular, la presente investigación aborda una posible causa de la pérdida y desperdicio de alimentos que no ha sido analizada, esto es la falta de tiempo ...disponible de las familias para realizar trabajo doméstico. Metodología: en este estudio exploratorio se eligió un enfoque cualitativo descriptivo, con el objetivo de analizar la correlación entre la disponibilidad de tiempo para realizar trabajo doméstico en los hogares y el desperdicio de alimentos en los mismos. Para la recopilación de datos se realizó una encuesta a una muestra de hogares de una colonia de clase media en Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. Posteriormente, se llevó a cabo un análisis descriptivo y correlacional de las respuestas obtenidas. Resultados: se descubrió que hay ciertas actividades que implican un gasto de tiempo, que tienen que ver directamente con el trabajo doméstico –como revisar la despensa, hacer un inventario de los alimentos, escribir una lista de mandados, entre otras– que sí posee una relación con la cantidad de alimentos que se desperdician. Estas pequeñas actividades, con el tiempo, se convierten en hábitos de consumo inteligente. Limitaciones: se necesita una investigación confirmatoria adicional. Conclusiones: en conclusión, sobre la base de los datos obtenidos a través de la encuesta, es posible identificar dicha correlación positiva en este caso.
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