[Housework, gender and health in the working population].
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the relation between domestic workload and self-perceived health status among workers and to examine whether there are gender inequalities.


METHODS
The selected population were the 215 men and 106 women younger than 65 years interviewed in the Terrassa Health Survey, 1998 who had a paid work and were married or cohabiting. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) by domestic workload, age and occupational social class with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.


RESULTS
Whereas among men domestic workload was not associated with health status, among women poor self-perceived health status was positively related to household size (aOR = 3.65; 95% IC = 1.06-12.54) and to lack of a person for doing domestic tasks (aOR = 4.43; 95% CI = 1.05-18.62).


CONCLUSIONS
Both household characteristics and having a support for facing domestic tasks play an important role in gender health inequalities.
Artázcoz
L
L
Institut Municipal de Salud Pública de Barcelona, 08023 Barcelona, Spain.
Borrell
C
C
Rohlfs
I
I
Beni
C
C
Moncada
A
A
Benach
J
J
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006796:Household Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain; D014937:Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*