But Can She Cook? - Women's Education and Housework Productivity
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2004
Department
Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs
Abstract
Previous inquiries into the relationship between education and housework productivity reveal that expectations differ along disciplinary (i.e., economics vs. non-economics) lines and empirical results from the economics literature are mixed. Expectations of a positive sign between education and housework productivity in the economics literature may be a function of misinterpretations of [J. Polit. Economy 81 (1973) 306] original theory pertaining to all nonmarket production, which is far more general than just housework. Mixed empirical results may be a function of incomplete or overly assumption-reliant econometric models derived previously. We streamline the procedures for estimating the parameters of a cone-person, one-period housework production function such that the system of equations may be specified with a single, literature-based assumption. Our estimation of the production function parameter that measures the effect of education on housework productivity suggests that authors in the non-economics literature may have a point; the relationship between education and housework productivity may be negative due to,'morale" effects. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Title
Economics of Education Review
Volume
23
Issue
6
First Page
605
Last Page
614
Recommended Citation
Sharp, D. C.,
Heath, J. A.,
Smith, W. T.,
Knowlton, D. S.
(2004). But Can She Cook? - Women's Education and Housework Productivity. Economics of Education Review, 23(6), 605-614.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/2952