Female Labor Force Participation and Time-saving Household Technology: A Case Study of the Microwave from 1978 to 1989

Abstract

American households are facing severe time constraints as women increase their participation in the wage economy. The implications of this situation for the adoption of time-saving technology in the home are not well understood. Previous research suggests several scenarios regarding the consequences of female labor force participation for the purchase of time-saving technology: (1) there may be no effect, (2) female labor force participation may have a direct effect, (3) female labor force participation may have an indirect effect through income, or (4) direct effects emerge over time. This article evaluates these hypotheses with a case study of the microwave oven, through proprietary cross-sectional surveys of married-couple households conducted from 1978 to 1989.