The impact of Covid-19 on work and time-use in the family

This project analyses the impact of the severe contention measures and stay-home orders resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak on the work and time-use of families in Spain. Between March 14 and May 2, 2020, the country suffered the strictest lockdown in Europe: most sectors stopped their activity completely, individuals could only leave the house for work or grocery shopping and those who could were asked to work from home. To investigate the effect of the lockdown on households, we collect surveys from 7,091 individuals during April 3-30. The survey was targeted to households with school-aged kids, and implemented through social media, mainly twitter, combined with mass-mailing to schools. The data collected allow us to document changes in the time use of household members during the lockdown in term of work for pay and household tasks. Our preliminary results suggest large employment losses that are similar for men and women and larger for lower-educated workers. We also find that men (slightly) increase their participation in household tasks, while women continue to bear most of the burden of domestic chores, expect for grocery shopping, which becomes a male activity during the lockdown. The unequal distribution of household tasks during the lockdown suggests that women who kept their jobs, most of them working from home, face a double burden.