NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ720303
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Sep
Pages: 18
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0037-7732
EISSN: N/A
Outsourcing the Gender Factory: Living Arrangements and Service Expenditures on Female and Male Tasks
de Ruijter, Esther; Treas, Judith K.; Cohen, Philip N.
Social Forces, v84 n1 p305-322 Sep 2005
Using data from the U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey 1998, this study analyzes how much money different types of households spend for domestic services on "female" and "male" tasks. We test alternative hypotheses based on economic and sociological theories of gender differentiation. Contrary to arguments that marriage lowers the risk to one partner of specializing in housework, we find no differences in service expenditures between cohabiting and married couples. Consistent with gender production arguments that the household context shapes behavior, single women outspend couples across the board. Single men, however, reveal spending behavior more consistent with gender socialization. Comparing single men and single women points to the gendered nature of the tasks as an important aspect of domestic service expenditures. (Contains 5 tables.)
University of North Carolina Press, 116 South Boundry Street, P.O. Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Tel: 919-966-3561; Fax: 919-966-3829.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A