Intra-Household Work Time Synchronization - Togetherness or Material Benefits?

Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper No. 2005-095/3

27 Pages Posted: 26 Nov 2005

See all articles by Chris van Klaveren

Chris van Klaveren

University of Amsterdam - Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB)

Henriette Maassen van den Brink

University of Amsterdam

Date Written: October 2005

Abstract

If partners derive utility from joint leisure time, it is expected that they will coordinate their work schedules in order to increase the amount of joint leisure. In order to control for differences in constraints and selection effects, this paper uses a new matching procedure, providing answers to the following questions: (1) Do partners coordinate their work schedules and does this result in work time synchronization?; (2) which partners synchronize more work hours?; and (3) is there a preference for togetherness? We find that coordination results in more synchronized work hours. The presence of children in the household is the main cause why some partners synchronize their work times less than other partners. Finally, partners coordinate their work schedules in order to have more joint leisure time, which is evidence for togetherness preferences.

Keywords: Time allocation, Leisure time, Togetherness, Work hours, household

JEL Classification: D13, I31, J12, J22

Suggested Citation

Klaveren, Chris van and Maassen van den Brink, Henriette, Intra-Household Work Time Synchronization - Togetherness or Material Benefits? (October 2005). Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper No. 2005-095/3, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=834524 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.834524

Chris van Klaveren (Contact Author)

University of Amsterdam - Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) ( email )

Roetersstraat 11
Amsterdam, 1018 WB
Netherlands

Henriette Maassen van den Brink

University of Amsterdam ( email )

Spui 21
Amsterdam, 1018 WB
Netherlands
+31 020 525 4311/4288 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www1.fee.uva.nl/scholar/mdw/hmvdb/main.htm

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
62
Abstract Views
795
Rank
632,837
PlumX Metrics