Household Values, Women's Work, and Economic Growth, 1800–1930

W. Elliot Brownlee

The Journal of Economic History, 1979, vol. 39, issue 1, 199-209

Abstract: This essay explores the state of economic knowledge regarding the development of household economic life in the United States since early industrialization by examining explanations for the low labor-force participation of middle-class married women prevailing until the 1940s. These explanations, including those emerging from fertility studies and resting on market forces, imprecisely specify the domestic roles of housewives. Interdisciplinary specification of these roles, drawing on social and cultural historians, and rigorous measurement of time allocation within the household would help resolve the various interpretations and assist in estimating the contribution of household work to social product.

Date: 1979
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