The Rational Household Theory Examined: Does Equalization in Wages Change the Sexual Division of Labor?

This paper examines two versions of the rational household theory: The radical version implies sex equalization in wages changes the sexual division of labor, while the moderate version implies not. The latter is supported by findings from national representative surveys of Japan: Despite the narrowing of female/male wage gap for younger age groups, women's continuous full-time employment did not rise; there has been a slight increase in husbands' housework time on weekdays, but this may be due to husbands' self-serving response bias.