The labor supply of West German married and cohabiting couples is analyzed using a discrete choice model. Following van Soest (1995), the labor supply decision is based on a household utility function which is determined by the leisure of the two spouses and net household income. Furthermore,...

This paper analyses the developments in the returns to education in West Germany for the period from 1984 to 1997. Based on simple Mincer-type wage equations, we estimate a return of about 8% for men and 10% for women, and these returns have remained remarkably stable over the period. On the...

Wir analysieren die Entwicklung der Bildungsrenditen in Westdeutschland in der Periode von 1984 bis 1997 auf der Basis der Humankapitaltheorie mit Daten des Sozio-Ökonomischen Panels. Die Schätzergebnisse zeigen, dass Frauen mit etwa 10% eine signifikant höhere durchschnittliche...

We explore the relationship between relative physical attractiveness in the household and the hours worked by married men and women. Using PSID data, we find that husbands who are thinner relative to their wives work fewer hours, while wives who are heavier relative to their husbands work more...

Prior empirical studies have found that American workers report longer hours than workers in other highly industrialized countries, and that the highly educated report the longest hours relative to other educational levels. This paper analyzes disparities in working hours by gender and education...

In Deutschland liegen die von abhängig Beschäftigten gewünschten Wochenarbeitszeiten im Durchschnitt zwischen knapp 30 Stunden (Frauen) und 40 Stunden (Männer). Sehr lange Wochenarbeitszeiten sind weder für eine Mehrheit von Frauen noch für Männer attraktiv; diesen Befund findet man auch...

In this paper we examine the hours of paid work of husbands and wives in ten industrialized countries, using data from the Luxembourg Income Study. We present results on the average hours of paid work put in jointly by couples, on the proportion working very long weekly hours, and on gender...

The rise in per-capita labor over the last 30 years is difficult to explain in a standard macroeconomic model because rising wages of women should have lead to a large rise in husband's leisure. This paper argues that home production and bargaining are both essential for understanding these...

The paper empirically expounds the richness of the identity approach to labor market behavior by allowing individuals to experience identity conflict. Specifically, it investigates the relationship between the importance individuals attach to labor-market activities - which is influenced by the...

Part-time jobs are popular among partnered women in many countries. In the Netherlands the majority of partnered working women have a part-time job. Our paper investigates, from a supply-side perspective, if the current situation of abundant part-time work in the Netherlands is likely to be a...