Hours of Work and Gender Identity: Does Part-Time Work Make the Family Happier?

Booth, Alison L.; van Ours, Jan C.

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Hours of Work and Gender Identity: Does Part-Time Work Make the Family Happier?

CEPR Discussion Paper No. 5438

39 Pages Posted: 17 Apr 2006

See all articles by Alison L. Booth

Alison L. Booth

Australian National University (ANU) - Research School of Social Sciences (RSSS); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Jan C. van Ours

Tilburg University - Department of Economics; University of Melbourne - Department of Economics

There are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: December 2005

Abstract

Taking into account inter-dependence within the family, we investigate the relationship between part-time work and happiness. We use panel data from the new Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia Survey. Our analysis indicates that part-time women are more satisfied with working hours than full-time women. Partnered women's life satisfaction is increased if their partners work full-time. Male partners' life satisfaction is unaffected by their partners' market hours but is increased if they themselves are working full-time. This finding is consistent with the gender identity hypothesis of Akerlof and Kranton (2000).

Keywords: Part-time work, happiness, gender identity

JEL Classification: I31, J16, J22

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Booth, Alison L. and van Ours, Jan C., Hours of Work and Gender Identity: Does Part-Time Work Make the Family Happier? (December 2005). CEPR Discussion Paper No. 5438, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=897354