The 'Second Shift' Is Not Why Women Avoid News
Women are more likely than men to avoid political and economic news, but the reasons for this behaviour are linked less to structural inequality or family-related stress than to personal attitudes and the emotional perception of news content. This conclusion was reached by HSE researchers after analysing data from a large-scale survey of more than 10,000 residents across 61 regions of Russia. The study findings have been published in Woman in Russian Society.
News consumption is regarded as an important indicator of how people perceive the world around them. For some, regularly following the news is a way to stay informed about public life and better understand political and economic processes. Others believe it is sufficient to receive information through social media, where major news stories spread automatically. There is also a third strategy: deliberate avoidance of news, particularly coverage related to politics and economics.
The researchers hypothesised that women might be more likely to distance themselves from the news agenda because of structural factors. Academic literature often suggests that childcare, housekeeping, and providing emotional support to family members—the so-called 'second shift'—can limit the time and resources women have available for engaging with social and political information.
To test this hypothesis, researchers from HSE University analysed data from the 2024 survey ‘Research on COVID-19 in Russia’s Regions’ (RoCiRR). Although the survey primarily focused on the effects of the pandemic, the questionnaire also included a large section devoted to news consumption. The survey involved more than 10,000 respondents from 61 Russian regions and included questions about how often respondents read the news, their screen time, and a self-assessment of their media consumption habits. It also covered respondents’ marital status, employment, education, values, and levels of anxiety.
The analysis shows that women are indeed more likely to avoid political and economic news, but this is not directly linked to having children. Instead, the emotional perception of news content proves to be a much more significant factor: women are more likely to associate such news with anxiety and negative experiences. Having a partner, regardless of status, is associated with higher levels of news consumption, whereas full-time employment reduces the amount of time people generally devote to following the news.
Additional analysis reveals further patterns. Both men and women who adhere to more conservative values are, on average, more likely to distance themselves from the news agenda. In addition, individuals with higher levels of education are less likely to spend a large amount of time on consuming news. Anxiety shows a dual relationship: it is associated both with more frequent news exposure and with news avoidance.
Anastasia Kazun
'We had expected to find confirmation of the hypothesis regarding the impact of structural inequality, but no such effect was observed in the current Russian data. Moreover, we had assumed that individuals with higher education would follow the news more actively, as previous studies suggest that education can reduce the emotional costs of engaging with news content. However, the findings indicate that news avoidance is more of an individual strategy than a behaviour associated with any single social characteristic,' notes one of the study authors, Anastasia Kazun, Senior Research Fellow at the Laboratory for Studies in Economic Sociology.
The findings demonstrate that news consumption practices are shaped by a range of factors, from emotional state to personal values. According to the researchers, this suggests that media communication and public awareness strategies should take into account not only the socio-demographic characteristics of audiences, but also the psychological aspects of their engagement with news.
The study was conducted within the framework of the Basic Research Programme at HSE University.
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