Tropentag, September 10 - 12, 2025, Bonn "Reconciling land system changes with planetary health"

Rainfall shocks intensify unpaid domestic work and social inequalities. evidence from ecuador

¹University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF), Germany
²International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

Abstract

Weather extremes exacerbate existing social inequalities. This paper examines the impact of rainfall shocks, both lack and excess, on household labour time allocation, drawing on nationally representative panel survey data from 2014 to 2017, combined with high-resolution rainfall information. Using household fixed effects models, we find that rainfall shocks increase the time spent on unpaid domestic work—by approximately two hours per week, or 19% on average. The domestic tasks most affected are cooking and cleaning. This additional burden falls disproportionately on already disadvantaged groups, including women, poor households, and rural residents. These disparities are linked to traditional gender roles, limited access to appliances and services, and a lack of public infrastructure in rural areas.
Rainfall shocks also reduce the time allocated to paid work, particularly among women, suggesting broader economic consequences for female labour force participation. In addition, we analyse groups facing compounded vulnerabilities, such as poor women. For this group, the impact is even more pronounced, with an increase of up to five hours per week in unpaid domestic labour. These findings underscore how rainfall shocks widen both gender and socio-economic gaps by increasing unpaid workload and reducing time available for income-generating activities, education, or rest.
Overall, this study highlights the far-reaching and unequal consequences of climate-related shocks on labour dynamics within households. The evidence points to the need for targeted social protection and labour policies that recognise and reduce the burden of unpaid domestic work—especially among women in vulnerable settings—to promote resilience and equity in the face of increasing climate variability.

Keywords: Heterogeneous effects, labour allocation, rainfall shocks, unpaid housework

Contact Address: Maria Cristhina Llerena Pinto, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF), Address: genscherallee 3 office: 1032, 53113 Bonn, Germany, e-mail: s7malleruni-bonn.de