Estimates of the Economic Value of Housework by Fulltime Housewives in Korea

한국주부의 가사노동의 경제적 가치추정

The purpose of this study is to survey alternative methods of valuation of housework, and then to estimate the economic value of housework done by fulltime housewives in Korea. Four different methods-Self Estimation by Housewives, Opportunity Cost, Individual Function Cost and Housekeeper Replacement cost-are tried for the estimation of economic value of housework. The results of this study can be summarized as follows: (1) The economic value of housework varies substantially by the methods of estimation. The average are: *Estimates of Economic values of Housework by Each Method of Estimation (2) The economic value of housework varies with the level of education, ages, household income, the size of family, the number of children, the number of preschool children.