I’m looking for the best pieces written about the effect of labor-saving devices (dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, disposable diapers, microwaves, etc.) on female labor force participation and gender roles. Economic historians, labor economists, sociologists, autodidacts – what can you tell me?
READER COMMENTS
OneEyedMan
Apr 15 2011 at 10:59am
A Century of Work and Leisure by Valerie A. Ramey and Neville Francis.
” We find that hours of work for prime age individuals are essentially unchanged, with the rise in women’s hours fully compensating for the decline in men’s hours”
Steve Horwitz
Apr 15 2011 at 11:17am
Claudia Goldin’s 2006 Ely lecture (in the AER) covers some of this ground. And it’s just a terrific paper on FLFP in general.
Joshua Gans
Apr 15 2011 at 11:34am
Oh Bryan, you mean you have never read this?
http://www.gladwell.com/2001/2001_11_26_a_diaper.htm
Todd Kuipers
Apr 15 2011 at 4:27pm
Not exactly about labour saving, per se (I would suggest he gets it a touch backwards), but there are nuggets in Witold Rybczynski’s Waiting for the Weekend.
Comments are closed.