Problem

Undervaluation of housework in national accounts

Other Names:
Undervaluation of contribution of women to development
Nature:
One of the oldest conundrums in the theory of national income statistics is the question: if a man marries his housekeeper, is it correct to show a decline in national income. The answer given is, in a sense, a test of the respondent's concept of what national income statistics are intended to exhibit. The answer 'yes' implies that, because the marriage signifies the disappearance of a marketed activity from the sphere of measured production, national income, or GNP, being regarded as essentially the sum of market activities, correctly falls. The answer 'no' implies a recognition that the woman's activities as a housekeeper may be expected more or less to continue as before: there is no change (necessarily) in the total flow of goods and services.
Incidence:
Working women in the UK are estimated to have lost a total of $27 in overtime in 1987 because of home responsibilities. This is changing, however, as men assist in housework and childraising. Married men in the USA now do an impressive nine minutes more housework each day than they did twenty years ago.
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
GOAL 1: No PovertyGOAL 2: Zero HungerGOAL 3: Good Health and Well-beingGOAL 4: Quality EducationGOAL 5: Gender EqualityGOAL 6: Clean Water and SanitationGOAL 7: Affordable and Clean EnergyGOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic GrowthGOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and InfrastructureGOAL 10: Reduced InequalityGOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and CommunitiesGOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and ProductionGOAL 13: Climate ActionGOAL 14: Life Below WaterGOAL 15: Life on LandGOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong InstitutionsGOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
Problem Type:
F: Fuzzy exceptional problems
Date of last update
04.10.2020 – 22:48 CEST