Media contributions
1Media contributions
Title Digital Labour in Parenting: A New Type of Gender Inequality in Family. Degree of recognition International Media name/outlet Digital Child Media type Web Country/Territory Australia Date 27/03/25 Description Using digital technology and media is a daily practice for parents in many societies. Parents collect online information and childcare tips; communicate and collaborate online with partners, grandparents, and teachers regarding childcare; and use online services and platforms to meet children’s day-to-day, educational, and medical needs. While parents enjoy the convenience of digital technology and media, a new type of gender inequality between parents is emerging. In my article Gendered Division of Digital Labor in Parenting: A Qualitative Study in Urban China, I explore gender differences between mothers and fathers in their usage of digital technology and media in childcare. Working with my research assistant Ma Huan, I collected qualitative interview data from 147 parents in 84 Chinese families in three cities: Shenzhen (Guangdong province), Xiamen (Fujian province), and Tai’an (Shandong province). The findings show that mothers in most urban Chinese families spend more time on and are responsible for more digital tasks and labour in childcare than fathers. The prominent differences in digital labour in parenting between mothers and fathers challenge the positive stereotype of digital technology and media as progressive, liberational forces in the digital age. They also raise academic and societal concerns around the negative role of digital technology and media in oppressing women and deepening gendered inequality in families. Persons Yinni PENG