Outsourcing of Domestic Tasks and Time-saving Effects

Abstract

The increased participation of women in paid labor has changed the organization of domestic work. This article deals with a strategy to cope with remaining domestic duties; to what extent are domestic tasks outsourced, what are the main determinants, and does it indeed save time spent on housework? Five outsourcing options are investigated: domestic help, take-out meals, the microwave, the dishwasher, and the dryer. Hypotheses are formulated with respect to household resources, time availability, demand, and adaptability to new appliances. These hypotheses (except the adaptability hypothesis) assume that outsourcing saves time. This underlying assumption is tested as well. Using time budget data of the Dutch population in 1995, results show that especially households with higher incomes and double earners more often make use of all kinds of outsourcing options. Furthermore, the domestic help as well as the dishwasher saves time for women, whereas the microwave is time saving for men.

Hiring Domestic Help in Hong Kong

“…Warren (2003) uses the British Household Panel Survey of 1995 to show that 13% of the middle-class, dual-earner couples surveyed reported using a third party to do household cleaning, whereas this was the case for only 3% of working-class couples. Van der Lippe et al (2004) find similar results in the Netherlands and assert that household resources are the most important factor in hiring domestic help for dual-earning couples. Similarly, Hanson and Ooms (1991) find that higher income families in the United States often employ domestic help.…”

Gender Inequality in the Welfare State: Sex Segregation in Housework, 1965–2003

“…Examination of the time trends across four countries shows that there is a sizable decrease in specialization since the 1960s, with a general pattern of disinvestment in cooking and of a trade-off in housework. This disinvestment in cooking may be attributable to lower standards and higher use of services and quickly prepared substitutes (Robinson and Milkie 1998;Bittman, Matheson, and Meagher 1999;van der Lippe, Tijdens, and de Ruijter 2004). In multivariate analyses, each advancing year decreases women's cooking time.…”

Opting Out and Buying Out: Wives' Earnings and Housework Time

“…In addition, not all household expenditures intended to reduce wives’ housework time are included in the measure of expenditures on market substitutes. For example, purchases of labor-saving devices have the potential to reduce wives’ household labor time, although the evidence of their effectiveness in this regard is mixed (Bittman et al, 2004; van der Lippe et al, 2004). Furthermore, among the types of expenditures considered, households may report their expenditures with error and, as discussed earlier, individuals report the dollar amount spent on goods rather than the goods’ capacity to reduce household labor time.…”