[torben-friis]

>the meaning of “who wears the pants in this house”

That's pants as opposed to skirts. It's a gender implication, not a scarcity one.

[t-3]

You're right for the english version, but the Chinese version is IIRC a family that shares one pair of pants - the person who needs to go outside wears the proper clothes.

[seanmcdirmid]

I was only aware of the Chinese version because my friend explained it to me on my first trip to yunnan in 2002. I always thought the English version descended from the Chinese version, not that they were separate. Oops.