Specialization and Division of Labor in Marriage

Today I have been reading a fair bit about "specialization" and its contribution to gendered division of labor. Marriage, in addition to it's intangible benefits (love and all that), also confers some material benefits -- in other words it provides people access to commodities that the would not have access to if they were single. This theory, which seems to have started with Gary Becker [1] makes the assertion that spouses can specialize in certain tasks (e.g. childcare, work for pay) and then within the marriage both benefit from this specialization by engaging in a trade that has essentially zero transaction cost. By specializing and trading the marriage partners can use their human capital more effectively and intensively.

Such a theory can give a reason why specialization occurs, but it doesn't speak to why women do the lion's share of the housework and childcare. After all, there is no reason why men and women wouldn't choose to specialize in childcare in equal numbers. However, in the time since this theory was first proposed, the model has been refined to offer some explanations which I am still exploring.

But I think that such a theory could certainly be used to explain the perpetuation of a system of gendered division of labor. Let's assume (just for the moment!) that most men choose to specialize in work-for-pay (WFP) and that most women specialize in domestic labor (DL). Now we look at individual decision-making. Say I'm a man and I'm considering what to specialize in at around the same time that I'm tentatively looking for a mate (this specialization often takes the form of costly education). Should I specialize in WFP or DL? Well, if I specialize in DL then I have a problem -- not many women are specializing in WFP, so most of my potential mates are also specializing in DL and together my mate and I don't have a way to take advantance of this surplus created by specialization. So I specialize in WFP. Similarly a woman seeking to specialize would presumably choose for the same reasons to specialize in DL.

Now, all of this makes a lot of sense to me until we get down to looking at what it means to specialize. If I want to have a profitable career, I may need to make a large investment, both in education and in time spent on my career. These are costs that I have to pay "up front" at or near the beginning of my career. And it can be hard to break in to a new career. But what if I want to specialize in childcare and household labor? Well, I certainly don't need a costly education. On-the-job training will serve me much better. And it's not nearly as hard to break into as a high-powered career.

I honestly don't see a world filled with single people specializing in WFP and DL. I see a world of single people specializing in WFP. Specializing in DL tends to be something that gets forced on you after marriage by necessity. However, I could see potential mates sizing their partners up for their potential as parents (i.e. their potential to specialize in DL) just as mates size each other up for their earning potential (i.e. potential specialization in WFP).

[1] G. S. Becker, 1973, 1974. "A Theory of Marriage: Part I" and "A Theory of Marriage: Part II" in Journal of Political Economy 81 and 82.

[2] M. J. Baker and J. P. Jacobsen, 2005. "Marriage, Specialization, and the Gender Division of Labor"