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What Is The Effect Of Housework On The Market Wage, And Can It Explain The Gender Wage Gap?

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  • Sholeh A. Maani
  • Amy A. Cruickshank

Abstract

Does housework reduce the market wage, and if so, does it have a similar impact for males and females? In this paper, we survey and evaluate the recent and growing empirical literature on the linkages between housework and the wage rate. The review is motivated by unexplained gender wage gaps across studies, which consider personal and market‐related factors. We focus on this less‐studied aspect of wage determination. We consider the required modelling framework, and provide standardized estimated effects of housework on the hourly wage across studies. We evaluate how this literature has addressed potential estimation problems, in particular, the endogeneity of housework, concavity of the housework–wage function, threshold effects and work effort effects. We conclude that the evidence across ordinary least squares, instrumental variable, fixed effects and two‐stage least squares results casts serious doubt on the idea that the negative female housework–wage relationship is only driven by endogeneity bias or individual‐specific characteristics. Yet, much more needs to be done to address modelling and data requirements, and we point out likely and promising future research directions.

Suggested Citation

  • Sholeh A. Maani & Amy A. Cruickshank, 2010. "What Is The Effect Of Housework On The Market Wage, And Can It Explain The Gender Wage Gap?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 402-427, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jecsur:v:24:y:2010:i:3:p:402-427
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6419.2009.00586.x
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    Cited by:

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    2. Tamar Khitarishvili, 2018. "Gender Pay Gaps in the Former Soviet Union: A Review of the Evidence," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_899, Levy Economics Institute.
    3. Vivien Procher & Nolan Ritter & Colin Vance, 2014. "Making Dough or Baking Dough? Spousal Housework Responsibilities in Germany, 1992-2011," Ruhr Economic Papers 0472, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    4. Tamar Khitarishvili, 2016. "Two tales of contraction: gender wage gap in Georgia before and after the 2008 crisis," IZA Journal of Labor & Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-28, December.
    5. Zhang, Cheng & Jian, Yaode & Zhou, Zhongsheng & Zhou, Bo, 2024. "Can the digital economy close the gender wage gap? Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PB).
    6. Liu, Huanwen & Dong, Yanfang & Luo, Changfu, 2024. "Why do women bear more? The impact of energy poverty on son preference in Chinese rural households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    7. Agénor, Pierre-Richard & Canuto, Otaviano, 2015. "Gender equality and economic growth in Brazil: A long-run analysis," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 155-172.
    8. Halldén, Karin & Stenberg, Anders, 2013. "The Relationship between Hours of Domestic Services and Female Earnings: Panel Register Data Evidence from a Reform," Working Paper Series 4/2013, Stockholm University, Swedish Institute for Social Research.
    9. Liu, Guiling & Liu, Ruifeng & Tian, Mengling & Wang, Jian & Ma, Hengyun, 2025. "Heterogeneous impact of digital economy on employment quality of female migrant workers in an emerging economy: Evidence from China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    10. Boris Hirsch & Marion König & Joachim Möller, 2013. "Is There a Gap in the Gap? Regional Differences in the Gender Pay Gap," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 60(4), pages 412-439, September.
    11. Pagán, Ricardo, 2013. "Time allocation of disabled individuals," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 80-93.
    12. Thorsten Konietzko, 2015. "Self-Employed Individuals, Time Use, and Earnings," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 36(1), pages 64-83, March.
    13. Xiaoqing Ai & Ruyue Yang & Xiaolei Yang, 2024. "The Effect of the Spouse's Income on Employment Decisions - a Study Based on Gender Disparities Perspective," Advances in Management and Applied Economics, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7.
    14. Vivien Procher & Nolan Ritter & Colin Vance, 2014. "Making dough or baking dough? Spousal housework responsibilities in Germany, 1992-2011," Schumpeter Discussion Papers SDP14004, Universitätsbibliothek Wuppertal, University Library.
    15. Liangshu Qi & Xiao-Yuan Dong, 2013. "Housework Burdens, Quality of Market Work Time, and Men’s and Women’s Earnings in China," Departmental Working Papers 2013-01, The University of Winnipeg, Department of Economics.
    16. Caterina Manicardi & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2025. "Unpaid Working Time and Disproportionate Female Hazard: an Intersectionality Perspective," LEM Papers Series 2025/01, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    17. Evelyn Skoy, 2024. "Household impacts of child health shocks," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(1), pages 1-28, March.
    18. Aaron Albert, 2018. "Parental duties, labor market behavior, and single fatherhood in America," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 1063-1083, December.
    19. Begoña Álvarez & Daniel Miles-Touya, 2019. "Gender imbalance in housework allocation: a question of time?," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 1257-1287, December.
    20. Niels Blom & Lynn Prince Cooke, 2024. "Wage Effects of Couples’ Divisions of Labour across the UK Wage Distribution," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(5), pages 1223-1243, October.
    21. Susan L. Averett & Cynthia Bansak & Julie K. Smith, 2021. "Behind Every High Earning Man is a Conscientious Woman: The Impact of Spousal Personality on Earnings and Marriage," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 29-46, March.
    22. Boris Hirsch & Thorsten Konietzko, 2013. "The effect of housework on wages in Germany: no impact at all [Der Einfluss von Hausarbeit auf die Löhne in Deutschland]," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 46(2), pages 103-118, August.

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