Premium
Time to Eat: Household Production under Increasing Income Inequality
Author(s) -
Hamermesh Daniel S.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
american journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.949
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1467-8276
pISSN - 0002-9092
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8276.2007.01012.x
Subject(s) - production (economics) , economics , distribution (mathematics) , inequality , affect (linguistics) , economic inequality , income distribution , consumption (sociology) , consumer expenditure survey , demographic economics , labour economics , agricultural economics , microeconomics , public economics , aggregate expenditure , mathematics , psychology , communication , social science , sociology , mathematical analysis
Using time diaries and expenditure data for the United States for 1985 and 2003, I examine how income and time prices affect time and goods inputs into eating. Both inputs increase with income, and higher time prices reduce time inputs. Between 1985 and 2003 the goods intensity of eating increased, especially lower in the income distribution, and average time inputs dropped, particularly time spent shopping, preparing, and cleaning up after meals. The results are consistent with relatively difficult goods‐time substitution in eating that becomes more difficult as household production expands.