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Title: When Homemakers are Compensated: A Study of the Permanent and Anticipation Effects of Homemaking Provision in Property Division Following Divorce

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2013

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Abstract: The unilateral divorce revolution in the United States that started in late 1960s has been accompanied by a variety of reforms in the divorce law across states. One example is the introduction of the homemaking provision to give recognition to the contribution of homemakers in marriage in the division of property. This paper examines empirically the extent to which this provision affects household specialization and time allocation within marriages. The findings show that this law has significant long term negative impact on spousal labor supply and produced slacking effects in households. Household specialization intensifies prior to divorce with the provision. There is also evidence that the impact of the provision on household behavior is at least partially mitigated over time as shown by the overall stronger responses of couples married prior to the introduction of the homemaking provision. The overall results provide strong evidence for intra-household bargaining.

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Authors: Wong, Ho-Po Crystal

Publisher: University of Washington

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Family and Marriage, Gender

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