Using a national survey conducted in 1990, this article examines how wives' labor force participation affects the extent to which families use the market economy to provide goods and services that have traditionally been produced by women. The specific purchases examined are help with housecleaning, meals at restaurants, and meals delivered to the home. Findings are discussed within the context of hypotheses about the roles of household resources, personal resources, gender ideologies, role overload, and the specific benefits that different family members receive from the provision of each service.
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