Volume 20, Number 1 (Winter) 1985
Ferber, Marianne A., and Carole Green. 1985. "Homemakers' Imputed Wages: Results of the Heckman Technique Compared with Women's Own Estimates." Journal of Human Resources 20(1):90-99.
Three estimates of potential earnings of women not in the labor force, based on two data sets, were obtained (I) by using the coefficients from the regression of employed women with characteristics of the homemaker, (2) by using Heckman's adjustment for selection bias, and (3) by using the women's own views of potential earnings. The second approach yielded lower estimates than the first, as expected. The third estimate was found to be considerably higher than the second, suggesting that simple adjustment for selection bias may not be useful for the opportunity cost approach to valuation of housework.
The authors are, respectively. Professor of Economics. University of
Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. and Assistant Professor of Economics. University
of South Florida. Tampa.
We want to thank the Research Board of the Graduate College
of the University of Illinois, U-C for their assistance.
© 2003 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
US ISSN 0022-166X