Influence of Household Chores on Grades of Undergraduates

Abstract

The undergraduate level of education is an important stage of a student’s academic career. In developing countries, including Pakistan, the low level of socio-economic status of families may badly influence their children’s education. Due to the inability to hire home servants, a majority of parents put the extra burden of different household activities on children. This paper investigates the influence of household chores on the academic grades of undergraduate-level students. The data were obtained from a probability sample of undergraduates at the University of Malakand, Pakistan. The statistical analysis suggests that most of the undergraduates perform household chores regularly, which reduces their study hours. We observed that students who perform household chores are likelier to get poor academic grades. Further, most of the students thought that household chores should be equally divided between family members. We also observed that students with less contribution to household chores tend to show better academic outcomes. The findings have important implications for promoting a supportive environment that allows students to thrive academically and personally.