Can Public Policies Bring about the Democratization of the Outsourcing of Household Tasks?

Abstract

For twenty years or so, the outsourcing of household tasks has been considered to be increasing in many countries. In some countries (particularly in France), extensive public policies have been put in place to develop demand and create employment by explicitly seeking to democratize consumption, which still predominantly concerns more affluent households. By using both quantitative and qualitative data, this paper aims to gain a better understanding of the factors of demand for these services and to examine the possibility of bringing the process of democratization to a successful conclusion. Due to the originality of the data used, my approach differs from previous research in two main areas: first, it highlights the lack of democratization of the consumption of these services (among working-age households), and second, it identifies the two forms of inequality underlying their development.