Unpaid Labor: Technology, History and Gender
Paper Session
Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM (CST)
- Chair: Edith Kuiper, SUNY-New Paltz
Unpaid Work and Household Living Standards in the U.S.
Abstract
Women provide a disproportionate share of all unpaid housework and childcare in the U.S. These activities improve household living standards even as they increase the risk of time poverty among women. However, the substitutability between market income and unpaid work remains largely unexplored. Most estimates of time poverty are based on assumptions regarding basic thresholds of “socially necessary” unpaid work that are not fully informed by current time use data. Most estimates of the monetary value of unpaid work rely on a linear calculation, simply multiplying hours of unpaid work by their replacement cost. Some substitutability between income work and unpaid work is apparent, particularly for childcare, but it almost certainly limited; even at higher levels of market income, it is probably subject to diminishing marginal productivity. Our analysis of the 2019 Panel Study of Income Dynamics, which includes data on both unpaid work time and household income for households with up to two adults, provides insights into these tradeoffs. A detailed analysis of variation across households in time devoted to unpaid work time provides the basis for empirical specification of time poverty thresholds. Application of non-linear estimates based on quantile spline regression methods reveals significant differences in the substitutability between market income and unpaid work at different points in the income distribution.Time-saving appliances and educational pitfalls: Evidence from South Asia
Abstract
This study investigates whether access to time-saving appliances (TSA) aids children, especially girls in overcoming educational pitfalls, particularly during the challenging transition from primary to secondary and upper secondary schools in South Asia, marked by high dropout rates. Despite established evidence linking TSA access to increased educational enrollment, we focus on its specific impact on reducing dropout rates and their transition from one schooling level to another which is marked by the highest dropout rates. Utilizing instrumental variable methodology to address endogeneity, our findings reveal a causal relationship between owning freezers and washing machines and successful transitions for both genders. The village-level ownership of these appliances among childless families serves as a crucial instrument. Additionally, we analyze the mechanisms through which time-saving appliances influence upward transitions and assess result heterogeneity based on maternal decision-making authority, parental educational aspirations, and sibling gender composition within households. This nuanced exploration provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners addressing educational challenges in the region.Gender, Work, and Structural Transformation
Abstract
In most societies, a large fraction of adult time is dedicated to work, defined as time devoted to the production of goods and services. Across countries and over time, however, there are substantial differences in the types of work that people undertake. These include differences in the locus of economic activity (home versus market), the organization of work (unpaid, self-employment, or wage work), and the extent to which men and women participate in different activities. In this paper, we take advantage of two novel datasets that we built. The first dataset harmonizes diary data for 42 countries. It provides measures of the types of work that are carried out in countries at different levels of income per capita. This dataset allows us to measure time dedicated not only to market-focused work but also to the production of home production and care activities. It also allows us to look at patterns of unpaid work, distinguishing between unpaid work which produces marketable goods and that for which there is not a clear market substitute. The second dataset harmonizes labor force and household surveys for 119 countries. It allows us to identify patterns that help us to understand the gendered processes of structural transformation and growth. For instance, in the lowest-income countries, both men and women work predominately in agriculture. In middle-income countries, men work in manufacturing and market services, while women tend to work in non-market services or to shift out of the labor force into home production. Women’s work in both home and market tends to concentrate on outputs that are not priced, such as childcare, education, or health production. By summarizing the patterns of work that across countries at different levels of income per capita, we can better understand the gendered relationships between growth and time use.The Well-Being Impacts of Patterns of Women’s Time Use
Abstract
In this paper, we estimate the impact of women’s time use on their self-reported well-being based on the evidence from women traders in two markets in Ghana. We employ a novel dataset collected using a user-friendly Android application that records the time spent by the user in various activities in a 24-hr span. The user inputs an activity every 30 minutes during the day by simply clicking on an icon representing the activity they are engaged in. This time use data is input by users for at least three consecutive days. Moreover, we make use of the changes in patterns of women’s time-use due to exogenous events, i.e. by exploring the variation between market and non-market days. At the close of each day, the user is also asked to record how they felt on a five-point scale from very sad to very happy. It is hypothesized that due to increased demands on women’s time on market days, women experience negative emotions on market days irrespective of the potentially higher income earned. Moreover, the dataset allows for an assessment of the relationship between time spent in different activities (e.g., commute, paid work, home production, leisure) vis a vis its impact on individual well-being. The paper makes several key contributions to existing and emerging literature on well-being and health, including mental health, impacts of the demands on women’s time due to domestic and paid work. While it is documented that women spend more time in work compared to men, the impact of these time demands on women’s health is less known. It also furthers the use of digital technologies for the collection of time-use data in time-pressed and financially constrained contexts in the Global South.Discussant(s)
Edith Kuiper
,
SUNY-New Paltz
Sirisha Naidu
,
University of Missouri-Kansas City
JEL Classifications
- J2 - Demand and Supply of Labor
- B5 - Current Heterodox Approaches