Who pays for domestic help?

Boris Palameta

• Wives spend significantly more time housecleaning than husbands, in all types of households. Paying for domestic help is a way to reclaim some of that time.
• The likelihood of buying domestic help depends on both household income and the wife's share of it. High-income households are generally more likely, but so are low-income households if the wife earns most of the income.
• Households with a larger home, young children, or an older wife are also relatively likely to pay for domestic help.

Boris Palameta is with the Income Statistics Division. He can be reached at (613) 951-2124 or perspectives@statcan.gc.ca.