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Household Labor Supply and Home Services in a General-Equilibrium Model with Heterogeneous Agents

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  • Bredemeier, Christian
  • Jüßen, Falko

Abstract

We propose a new explanation for differences and changes in labor supply by gender and marital status, and in particular for the increase in married women's labor supply over time. We argue that this increase as well as the relative constancy of other groups' hours are optimal reactions to outsourcing labor in home production becoming more attractive to households over time. To investigate this hypothesis, we incorporate heterogeneous agents into a household model of labor supply and allow agents to trade home labor. This model can generate the observed patterns in US labor supply by gender and marital status as a reaction to declining frictions on the market for home services. We provide an accounting exercise to highlight the role of alternative explanations for the rise in hours in a model where home labor is tradable.

Suggested Citation

  • Bredemeier, Christian & Jüßen, Falko, 2009. "Household Labor Supply and Home Services in a General-Equilibrium Model with Heterogeneous Agents," Ruhr Economic Papers 91, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:rwirep:91
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor supply; gender; home production; heterogeneity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • E13 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Neoclassical
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation

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