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September 21, 2025Open Access

Labor-Saving Durables, Women’s Labor-Force Participation, and Government Macroeconomic Policy: The Case of Postwar Britain

Key Points

Women’s labor-force participation improved significantly after the 1970s, following policy changes on labor-saving durables.
Restrictive government macroeconomic policies previously hindered access to labor-saving durables and equal pay legislation.
The shift in government policy facilitated increased ownership of consumer durables among households.
The study focuses on postwar Britain, examining historical implications of macroeconomic policies on women's economic roles.

Abstract

Abstract The postwar era witnessed substantial changes in women’s formal workforce participation and economic status, driven by equal pay legislation and labor-saving durables that removed most of the fatigue from household tasks. To explore the importance of the postwar “industrialization of the home,” we focus on the UK, where successive governments both restricted the diffusion of labor-saving durables and blocked equal pay legislation, as part of deflationary strategy. We explore the negative impacts of these policies and show that when the restrictions were relaxed in the 1970s, consumer durables ownership and married women’s contributions to household incomes rose substantially.

Labor-Saving Durables, Women’s Labor-Force Participation, and Government Macroeconomic Policy: The Case of Postwar Britain

Key Points

Abstract

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