ABSTRACT
Adult daughters earned five per cent more than mothers, but sons slightly less than fathers. Sons earned 60 per cent more than daughters, but the difference narrows to 20 per cent in the category earnings between 3,000 yuan and 12,000 yuan. Similar to Qingyuan, in Wuxi male spouses reported the highest wage earnings, averaging more than 9,600 yuan, followed by the household head’s fathers. Household head’s mothers earned least, which may have to do with responsibilities for the care of children and other chores, but also with a tradition whereby elderly women do not work outside the home. For incomes above 12,000 yuan, averages for heads, spouses and children are almost the same, but with a similar gender bias. The great differences in average wage income between household members in Wuxi suggest different propensities to work for wages, a division of labour in the household, and a flexible labour market, which rewards skills and experience but has a definite gender bias.
