Counting Housework: New Estimates of Real Product in the United States, 1800–1860
- 1 June 1993
- journal article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in The Journal of Economic History
- Vol. 53 (2) , 275-288
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022050700012912
Abstract
Women engaged primarily in the provision of domestic services for family members make important contributions to total output. This article provides estimates of the size and sectoral allocation of the nonmarket household work force in the United States between 1800 and 1860. Those estimates are then used as a basis for several alternative imputations of the value of these women's work, which modify the historical picture of economic growth over this period.Keywords
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