ABSTRACT
A substantial amount of time is spent on housework, and there are striking differences by gender in the amount of time spent on housework. While estimates vary widely depending on the sample examined and the methods used to generate the information, representative values of housework time range around six to fourteen hours per week for men and twenty to thirty hours for women. Housework is central to explanations of gender differentials in earnings, since gender differences in work history and occupations are often assumed to derive from gender differences in household responsibilities. In addition, the exclusion of time spent on home production from GNP statistics understates official measures of women's contribution to the economy.
