Value of housework by gender, income, and race

In injury and death cases, the value of lost household work that would have been performed by the injuried or deceased is frequently an issue. In these cases, the value of the lost household work is determined by first calculating how many hours the person would have normally performed. Second, the market value of the lost household services experienced by the person is calculated. The market value of the household services is determined by the average hourly wage of individuals who perform similar services in the labor market. The total value is found by multiplying the value and number of hours performed.

The question is does the person's gender, income level, and race matter in the calculation?

The answer is yes, yes, yes.


In a Princenton working paper titled: Does Household Work Matter Anymore?
Comparisons of Household Production and the Distribution of Income in the United States
in 1965-66 and 2003' the authors, Cathleen D. Zick, Ph.D., W. Keith Bryant, Ph.D., and Sivithee Srisukhumbowornchai, M.S. provide some insights.

They find that the value of household production is:

* higher for women
* decreases as income goes up (less hours worked)
* African-American and Hispanic males have fewer household production hours
* Hispanic females work more household production hours

See also:


Bryant, W.K., C.D. Zick, and H. Kim. 1992. The dollar value of household work. Ithaca, NY:
Conrell University, College of Human Ecology.