ABSTRACT
Families and households provide the context in which important non-market transactions between men and women take place. Partners in a marital or de facto union and their children generally co-reside and spend time together, and this proximity may yield benefits in the form of love, companionship, and sexual pleasure. Family members also pool resources to a greater or lesser extent; pooling permits the exploitation of economies of scale in household services and provides insurance in the face of individual income risks. Children and investments in children are often treated by economists as household ‘public goods’ valued by both parents, and other household-produced goods and services contribute to the comfort and health of allmembers andmaintain their productivity. The contributions thatmen andwomenmake to a joint family enterprise determine, to a large extent, the material wellbeing of adults and children. The gender division of labour in this family provisioning is also the principal element of distinct economic roles for men and women.
