When the economic value of unpaid household labor was converted the year before last, it came to 11.25 million won per person per year. The value of women's unpaid household labor was 2.7 times larger than men's, but the gap narrowed from five years ago. It shows men's participation in household labor has increased.
The Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) on the 29th stated accordingly through the 2024 household production satellite account. These are statistics that convert "invisible labor" into economic value and are released every five years. Household and personal services within the household that are not captured in gross domestic product (GDP), as well as volunteering, are included, and the figures are calculated by multiplying household labor hours, the virtual labor force, and the replacement wage (16,698 won).
◇ "Time spent on household labor increases among men in 1-person households and the unmarried"
As of 2024, the value of unpaid household labor (employee compensation) was 582.4 trillion won, up 20% from five years earlier. Total output for production activities within the household, which combines the value of unpaid household labor and intermediate consumption (expenditure needed for household production, 190.3 trillion won), was tallied at 809.4 trillion won, up 24.3%.
The value of unpaid household labor as a share of nominal GDP was 22.8%, down 1 percentage point from five years ago. An official at the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) said, "Household labor is becoming marketized through food delivery orders and the use of home appliances," adding, "As time spent doing household labor within the household has decreased, its value relative to GDP has shrunk."
The year before last, the value of unpaid household labor per woman was 16.46 million won per year. For men it was 6.05 million won, meaning women's was 2.7 times that of men. This was lower than the ratio five years earlier of women's household labor value to men's (3.2 times). A Data Office official said, "Time spent on household labor has increased mainly among unmarried men and men in 1-person households, and the share of married men who share household labor has also risen," adding, "Meanwhile, women's employment rate has become very high, leaving less time for household labor."
◇ Thanks to "aunt appliances," clothing care down; with more "out-of-home care," care for minors down
Compared with five years ago, the activity types with the largest increases in household labor value were ▲ home management (25.8%) ▲ volunteering and participation activities (24.6%) ▲ caring for family and household members (0.7%), in that order.
Within home management, the share taken up by "clothing care" was 6.7%, down 0.3 percentage point from five years ago. A Data Office official said, "Time once spent hanging and taking in laundry and ironing appears to have decreased significantly with the use of dryers and stylers," adding, "Instead, time spent caring for pets and plants increased by more than 60%."
In caring for family and household members, "caring for minors" decreased 1.8%, while "caring for adults" increased 20.8%. A Data Office official said, "As the number of older adults grows, adult care has increased," adding, "For minors, not only is the population declining, but the type of care is shifting from 'within the household' to 'outside the household,' so it has decreased."
By region, Sejong (42.3%) showed the largest increase in the value of unpaid household labor. A Data Office official said, "Sejong is the only province where the population of minors has increased," adding, "Even if time spent caring for minors has decreased, the population itself has grown, so the value of care has increased."