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Parenthood Without Penalty: Time Use And Public Policy In Australia And Finland

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  • Michael Bittman

Abstract

Housework and child care continue to be assigned on the basis of gender. Women are significantly disadvantaged by their unequal share of unpaid work. Three remedies for this situation have been advanced: (1) renegotiation of domestic division of labor, (2) substitution of market provision for unpaid labor, and (3) public provision of key services. Using time use and expenditure data from Australia this paper shows that most changes in the domestic division of labor have come from women's, rather than men's, adaptations. Furthermore, much of the change is attributable to increased reliance on market substitutes for women's domestic labor. A comparison of social policy and time use in Australia and Finland shows how entitlement to generous parental leave and public provision of child care can significantly reduce the economic and social penalties faced by mothers.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Bittman, 1999. "Parenthood Without Penalty: Time Use And Public Policy In Australia And Finland," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(3), pages 27-42.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:5:y:1999:i:3:p:27-42
    DOI: 10.1080/135457099337798
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michael Bittman & Robert E. Goodin, 1998. "An Equivalence Scale for Time," Discussion Papers 0085, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ariane Pailhé & Anne Solaz, 2008. "Time with Children: Do Fathers and Mothers Replace Each Other When One Parent is Unemployed?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 24(2), pages 211-236, June.
    2. Andres Vikat & Elizabeth Thomson & Alexia Prskawetz, 2004. "Childrearing Responsibility and Stepfamily Fertility in Finland and Austria," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 20(1), pages 1-21, March.
    3. Berenice Monna & Anne Gauthier, 2008. "A Review of the Literature on the Social and Economic Determinants of Parental Time," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 634-653, December.
    4. Shan Li, 2016. "The determinants of Mexican migrants’ duration in the United States: family composition, psychic costs, and human capital," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-28, December.
    5. Šikić-Mićanović Lynette, 2011. "The Meanings and Experiences of Domestic Labour among Rural Women in Croatia," Eastern European Countryside, Sciendo, vol. 17(-1), pages 87-106, January.
    6. Maria Gutiérrez-Domènech, 2010. "Parental employment and time with children in Spain," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 8(3), pages 371-391, September.
    7. Paul Dalziel, 2019. "Wellbeing economics in public policy: A distinctive Australasian contribution?," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 30(4), pages 478-497, December.
    8. Daumerie, Béatrice, 2003. "What Future for Europe? New perspectives in post-industrial fertility issues," Arbetsrapport 2003:7, Institute for Futures Studies.
    9. Elisa‐Rose Birch, 2005. "Studies of the Labour Supply of Australian Women: What Have We Learned?," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 81(252), pages 65-84, March.
    10. Joyce P. Jacobsen, 2009. "Accommodating Families," Chapters, in: Kenneth G. Dau-Schmidt & Seth D. Harris & Orly Lobel (ed.), Labor and Employment Law and Economics, chapter 11, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    11. Nicoletti, Cheti & Tonei, Valentina, 2020. "Do parental time investments react to changes in child’s skills and health?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    12. Robert Drago & Rosanna Scutella & Amy Varner, 2002. "Work and Family Directions in the US and Australia: A Policy Research Agenda," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2002n12, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    13. Tas,Emcet Oktay & Ahmed,Tanima, 2021. "Women’s Economic Participation, Time Use, and Access to Childcare in Urban Bangladesh," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9735, The World Bank.
    14. Lyn Craig, 2006. "Where Do They Find the Time?: An Analysis of How Parents Shift and Squeeze Their Time around Work and Child Care," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_439, Levy Economics Institute.
    15. Lyn Craig, 2007. "How Employed Mothers in Australia Find Time for Both Market Work and Childcare," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 69-87, March.
    16. repec:ilo:ilowps:446898 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Kristin Snopkowski, 2023. "Division of Household Labour and Fertility Outcomes Among Dual‐Income Australian Couples," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 56(4), pages 524-537, December.
    18. Satu Ojala & Man-Yee Kan & Tomi Oinas, 2021. "Teenage Time Use and Educational Attainment in Adulthood in Finland," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-17, September.
    19. Margaret Nelson, 2004. "How Men Matter: Housework And Self-Provisioning Among Rural Single-Mother And Married-Couple Families In Vermont, Us," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(2), pages 9-36.
    20. Ragni Hege Kitterød & Jan Lyngstad, 2013. "Comparing mothers' and fathers' reports on the non-resident father's contact with his children," Discussion Papers 744, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    21. Shan Li, 2016. "The determinants of Mexican migrants’ duration in the United States: family composition, psychic costs, and human capital," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-28, December.
    22. Shoba Arun & Thankom Arun & Vani Borooah, 2004. "The Effect Of Career Breaks On The Working Lives Of Women," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 65-84.
    23. Paul Callister, 2005. "The changing gender distribution of paid and unpaid work in New Zealand," Treasury Working Paper Series 05/07, New Zealand Treasury.
    24. Maria S. Floro & Mieke Meurs, 2010. "Gender Equality at the Heart of Decent Work," Working Papers 2010-01, American University, Department of Economics.
    25. Anne H. Gauthier & Timothy M. Smeeding & Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr., 2004. "Do We Invest Less Time in Children? Trends in Parental Time in Selected Industrialized Countries Since the 1960's," Center for Policy Research Working Papers 64, Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University.

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