2. Suppose that back in 1870 the average household wealth in a U.S. state was 20 + w under coverture, where w is the average wage rate a married woman earned for market work in that state. Under the wife's "self-ownership," sup- pose that the total household wealth was 10 + 4w. Assume, as do Geddes and Leuck (2002), that under coverture the household was like a firm managed and owned by the husband, whereas under self-ownership it was like an equal partnership between wife and husband. (a) Explain why the household wealth increased more rapidly through the wife's market wage under self-ownership than under coverture. (b) Comparing the average husband's wealth under coverture and the wife's self-ownership, explain why he would have preferred coverture for low values of his wife's wage but self-ownership for high values. (c) Draw a graph to identify the value of wives' wage rate beyond which husbands would have been willing to voluntarily abandon coverture in the state.

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2. Suppose that back in 1870 the average household wealth in a U.S. state was
20 + w under coverture, where w is the average wage rate a married woman
earned for market work in that state. Under the wife's "self-ownership," sup-
pose that the total household wealth was 10 + 4w. Assume, as do Geddes and
Leuck (2002), that under coverture the household was like a firm managed
and owned by the husband, whereas under self-ownership it was like an equal
partnership between wife and husband.
(a) Explain why the household wealth increased more rapidly through the
wife's market wage under self-ownership than under coverture.
(b) Comparing the average husband's wealth under coverture and the wife's
self-ownership, explain why he would have preferred coverture for low
values of his wife's wage but self-ownership for high values.
(c) Draw a graph to identify the value of wives' wage rate beyond which
husbands would have been willing to voluntarily abandon coverture in
the state.
Transcribed Image Text:2. Suppose that back in 1870 the average household wealth in a U.S. state was 20 + w under coverture, where w is the average wage rate a married woman earned for market work in that state. Under the wife's "self-ownership," sup- pose that the total household wealth was 10 + 4w. Assume, as do Geddes and Leuck (2002), that under coverture the household was like a firm managed and owned by the husband, whereas under self-ownership it was like an equal partnership between wife and husband. (a) Explain why the household wealth increased more rapidly through the wife's market wage under self-ownership than under coverture. (b) Comparing the average husband's wealth under coverture and the wife's self-ownership, explain why he would have preferred coverture for low values of his wife's wage but self-ownership for high values. (c) Draw a graph to identify the value of wives' wage rate beyond which husbands would have been willing to voluntarily abandon coverture in the state.
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