Mother and children: an endogenous approach

Abstract

Most literature on intra-family allocation of time focuses on two-person households, especially on the substitution of the wife's labour for that of the husband in home production. Extending the model to include children may change the predicted family division of labour. This paper attempts to model children's time allocated to household chores and treats their time as an endogenous variable, along with the time allocation of the mother. Then, data collected in Vietnam is used to test the hypotheses generated from the theoretical model. The paper shows that children's time in producing home goods is substitutable for the mother's. This allows the mother to adjust her labour supply behaviour via her home production time in response to changes in her wage rates, without necessarily reducing her leisure time. The model provides the first step of endogenising children's time allocation and allows us to map out a preliminary time allocation relationship between the mother and children. Show more