A rational choice model of wives’ employment decisions

Abstract

Factors that influence married women's employment decisions are studied within the context of a social exchange model of decision‐making developed by Blalock and Wilken (1979). It is proposed that wives’ estimations of the utility of employment are influenced by three hierarchically ranked goals (family's financial adequacy, maternal care of young children, employment as a source of personal fulfillment), and by an interest in maximum joint profit, that is, taking their husbands’ goals and utilities into account. The relative importance of these factors are compared for full‐time employed, part‐time employed, and nonemployed married women. It is found that husbands’ support of wives’ labor force participation is the best predictor of wives’ employment, even over level of family income. Possible interpretations are discussed.