Household division of labor and pay inequaltiy between men and women

Abstract

The household division of labor and pay inequality between men and women is examined using the 2006 American Time Use Survey. There are three main theoretical perspectives to examine when discussing household division of labor and pay inequality between men and women. The individual model argues that an individual makes rational choices when investing in Human Capital, which directly affects their income. Structural theory states that the position that an individual occupies determines the income and reward that one receives. Gender theory states that gender is a process of devaluation and sorting that determines the type of jobs that one occupies and the income they receive. It is expected that and increase in household labor will result in a decrease in income. It is also expected that women will have lower income than men. An OLS regression analysis is performed. Women earn $60.40 less per week than men, net of other factors. Increased participation in household labor food preparation results in a slight decrease in income. However, this is only significant for women who receive a decrease in income of $26.62 per week. Policy implications are discussed, these include things such as encouraging women to further their education, reduce the inequality between jobs for men and women, enforcement of antidiscrimination laws based on marital status and an increase in family-friendly polices in the workplace.