Ivana Greco on Things We Lose When We Outsource Every Hard Thing

"Busy parents with full-time jobs are often told to outsource housework in order to save time. For many working parents, this is completely reasonable advice. Hiring a cleaning lady is standard, as is using grocery delivery services and paying someone to mow the lawn. Daycares or nannies are also a common childcare choice for full-time working parents. Most families also outsource at least some amount of their meal preparation: frozen dinners from the grocery store, meal preparation kits, or takeout from a local restaurant. . . .

"The rationale for this type of outsourcing is simple: it's more efficient for a working mother (or father) to devote the majority of her waking hours to her job, and hire an expert to tackle difficult or unpleasant household or childcare tasks. As the mother who hired the potty training expert explained, she has a specialized career in marketing, and so it made sense to her to hire someone else specialized in potty training to accomplish the goal of teaching her child to competently use the toilet. This worldview fits neatly into the basic understanding of economics many college students absorb in 'Econ 101': the theories of comparative advantage and specialization indicate that a parent should rationally pursue career development while hiring out household tasks to others. . . .

"In other words, popular culture tells us it is often more efficient to outsource routine household tasks than do them yourself. This leaves an important question unanswered, however: efficient at what?"

In a recent commentary, Ivana Greco reflected on some of the things we lose when we outsource domestic tasks that seem unpleasant or routine in the name of efficiency.

To access Ms. Greco's complete reflection, please visit:

Public Discourse: When We Outsource Every Hard Thing, What Do We Lose? (18 JUL 24)