Female Labor Force Participation and Time-Saving Household Technology: A Case Study of the Microwave from 1978 to 1989

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Abstract
American households are facing severe time constraints as women increase their participation in the wage economy. The implications of this situation for the adoption of time-saving technology in the home are not well understood. Previous research suggests several scenarios regarding the consequences of female labor force participation for the purchase of time-saving technology: (1) there may be no effect, (2) female labor force participation may have a direct effect, (3) female labor force participation may have an indirect effect through income, or (4) direct effects emerge over time. This article evaluates these hypotheses with a case study of the microwave oven, through proprietary cross-sectional surveys of married-couple households conducted from 1978 to 1989.

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