A model of why women work harder than men

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the relationship between marital living arrangements, cultural attitudes, and the allocation of household work in Kyrqyzstan, focusing on the patrilocality hypothesis. The hypothesis suggests that women living with their husband's family are compelled to work harder than men. The study uses econometrics to test this hypothesis and explores the role of gender theory, resource theory, and bargaining theory in understanding household work allocation. Empirical results provide mixed evidence of the patrilocality and voluntary-marriage hypotheses. Contrary to the patrilocality hypothesis, women living with their husband's family do not earn lower outside wages. However, women who perform more household work have lower outside wages. The findings also suggest that love marriages may induce women to work more hours outside the home. Furthermore, cultural factors, such as religious devotion and decision-making power within the household, impact the division of household duties. The article concludes that while living arrangements and cultural attitudes affect the allocation of household work, they have limited explanatory power. Other factors, such as education and location, have stronger influences on women's outside wages, which, in turn, affect the division of household duties. The complex dynamics of family relationships and societal factors make it challenging to attribute household work allocation solely to one hypothesis or theory.