Critical Discourse Analysis of Domestic Housework on Weibo

The persistent gendered division of domestic housework demands scholarly attention as it reinforces gender inequality. While female domestic housework has been widely studied, public discourse analysis remains limited. Given its importance in reflecting power dynamics and feminist movements’ progression, our study fills this gap by employing critical discourse analysis (CDA) to scrutinize posts about domestic housework on Weibo. From January 1 to April 1, 2024, we collected 91,432 posts and randomly selected 5,000 for analysis. Findings reveal three key discourse functions: advocating financial compensation for women, normalizing men’s participation, and empowering women. These discussions are shaped by linguistic techniques such as the use of deontic modality, categorical metaphor and ironic metaphor. In addition, we identify key ideological drivers, including the rise of Chinese feminism, tensions with patriarchal norms, and Western cultural influences. In particular, the discourse reflects a shift in valuing domestic housework beyond capitalist frameworks, signaling an evolving societal perspective on gender roles and labor.