UK 
United States
Less work is good for equality as well as the environment, according to a new report by the Women’s Budget Group (WBG).
The WBG said that moving to a shorter working week could help to close the gender pay gap, in its new report. The publication of A shorter working week as part of a green caring economy comes as the UK continues to battle several intersecting crises with inequality and environmental breakdown at their core. When unpaid and paid work is combined, women continue to work longer hours than men but for less money, while overwork and overproduction are a direct cause of climate change.
Based on time-use data and evidence from the impact of Covid-19 on working patterns, WBG researchers found that men increased the time they spent on unpaid care during the first phase of the pandemic in response to a decline in their paid work and an increase in care needs.
Although women continued to perform most of the unpaid care work, men’s share increased to 40% (from 34% in 2015). This trend reversed in the second phase of the pandemic when men’s paid hours recovered. This indicated that a shorter working week for all would lead to a more even distribution of housework and care responsibilities.
