Housework, Education, and Relative Earnings: When Do Norms Trump Economic Rationality?

• In Event: 3247 - Gender/Sex and Emotional Labor in Work and/or Family

Abstract

The paper explores the association between housework, earnings, and education. In contrast to the majority of existing studies from the United States, Western Europe, or Australia, this paper provides a test of the bargaining theory and autonomy model in the Czech Republic. This country is an interesting case to test bargaining and autonomy model as the overall high female labor force participation (particularly among mothers with school-aged children) is blended with traditional gender role norms and long parental leaves. Using a data from the first wave of the Czech Household Panel, we demonstrate that in such institutional context, economic factors (education, woman’s absolute or partners’ relative earning) have no explanatory power for the way housework is shared by partners. The overwhelming majority of household tasks are done by women and this norm trump any economic rationality.

Authors

• Dana Hamplova, Czech Academy of Sciences

• Renata Topinkova, Czech Academy of Sciences

• Jana Klimova Chaloupkova, Czech Academy of Sciences