Women's Work Preferences: The Importance of Home-Based Work

Abstract

We explore women's preferences for each of five work options when they have young children, specifically: staying home without a job, working part-time, a part-time paid job that can done from home, working full-time, and a full-time job that can be done from home. Using a nationally representative sample of Australian citizens, we find that most women prefer home-based work over conventional away-from-home options, rating home-based work an average of 16 points out of 100 higher. If they could follow their preferences, fewer would stay home without a job, fewer would work outside the home, many more would work part-time from home, and many more full-time from home. Structural equation analyses show that the strongest influence on these preferences is perceived conflict between a woman's career and her family life.