TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN PURCHASED SERVICES AND TIME IN SINGLE-PARENT AND 2-PARENT FAMILIES

This research examines the influence of marital status on the demand f or services using a model in which the demand for market services and mothers' time spent in related household activities are jointly determ ined. Three specific areas of market services are investigated: meals prepared away from home, child care, and housekeeping. In multivariate systems analyses in which mothers' household work time and purchased services were simultaneously determined, families headed by single mot hers were found to (a) purchase more meals prepared away from home and (b) be more likely to purchase child care and housekeeping services t han their two-parent counterparts holding income and other factors con stant.