Editor R E V E W The Secretary of Agriculture has determined that the publication of this periodical is necessary in the This publication is not copyrighted. Contents may be reprinted without permission, but credit to Family appreciated. Use of commercial or trade names does not imply approval or constitute endorsement by USDA. Family Economics Review is indexed in the following databases: AGRICOLA, Feature Articles An Overview of Home-Based By Marilyn M. Furry The Pennsylvania State University Mark Lino1 Economist Family Economics Research Group This study uses data from a regional research project to provide an overview of the nature of home-based work, characteristics of home-based workers, and home-based workers' assessment of their work. Most home-based workers (75 percent) owned their own business and 47 percent worked 40 or more hours per week. Home-based workers were a heterogeneous group in regard to occupation, sex, age, education, and presence of children. Most (83 percent) home-based workers were satisfied with their employment. Most planned to continue working at home. Results of this study should give policymakers a better understanding of this growing segment of the labor force. I n 20th-century America, work and home have been two separate aspects of most people's lives. A growing number of Americans, however, have merged the two, resulting in home-based work. Although homebased work is often viewed as an ideal work arrangement and a trend of the future (1.2), few studies have examined such employment. A Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) study by Horvath (4), using the 1985 Current Population Survey, focused on people who worked at home. Work-at-home was defined as any work done at home as part of one's 'The authors wish to express their appreciation to Diane Masuo of the University of HawaiiHonolulu for her help in data analysis. regularly scheduled employment. The Based on a national survey of about |