Parenthood Without Penalty: Time Use And Public Policy In Australia And Finland

Michael Bittman

Feminist Economics, 1999, vol. 5, issue 3, 27-42

Abstract: Housework and child care continue to be assigned on the basis of gender. Women are significantly disadvantaged by their unequal share of unpaid work. Three remedies for this situation have been advanced: (1) renegotiation of domestic division of labor, (2) substitution of market provision for unpaid labor, and (3) public provision of key services. Using time use and expenditure data from Australia this paper shows that most changes in the domestic division of labor have come from women's, rather than men's, adaptations. Furthermore, much of the change is attributable to increased reliance on market substitutes for women's domestic labor. A comparison of social policy and time use in Australia and Finland shows how entitlement to generous parental leave and public provision of child care can significantly reduce the economic and social penalties faced by mothers.

Keywords: Gender Equity; Family Responsibilities; Domestic Division Of Labor; Social Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1999
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DOI: 10.1080/135457099337798

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