Effects of Job Features on Domestic Outsourcing as a Strategy for Combining Paid and Domestic Work

This article examines the influence of job features on domestic outsourcing. The central hypothesis is that households use outsourcing more often if the partners are less available for domestic chores and caregiving because of job demands. Analyses of data on 795 Dutch couples show that if they work longer hours, there is more of a demand for the outsourcing of female tasks. Flexible availability resulting from autonomy and working at home facilitates the use of outsourcing alternatives. Working at home by women reduces the amount of formal child care; however, for men it increases the outsourcing of child care.