Housework,the Household Economy and Economic Development in Ireland since the 1920s

Abstract

This paper proposes a concept of the household economy which incorporates housework as a productive activity, and on the basis of that concept re-examines the thesis that the household economy declines during economic development. It looks in particular at Irish evidence for the period 1926–86, as well as at secondary evidence for international trends. The analysis suggests that, although certain segments of the household economy have declined, the services production element identified with modern housework remains a major user of labour and source of output and shows surprising durability as an economic form in the midst of major changes in the surrounding economic environment. The paper concludes with some general observations on the relationship between economic growth and changes in the pattern of productive activity in the household in Ireland in recent decades.