On the Clock: Health Implications of Time Poverty

• In Event: 038 - Section on Sociology of Population Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 05. Demographic and Socioeconomic Associations with Physical and Mental Health

Abstract

Previous research has established a positive association between women’s health and increasing educational attainment and participation in the labor force. This trend, however, runs counter to another well-established narrative in the literature on the family- the second shift or the time bind- in which women struggle under the time pressures of work and family. As the literature on time use has expanded, negative health consequences of the time bind have been suggested but not directly investigated. Employing recently released data from the American Time Use Survey, we address this paradox by empirically examining the association between women’s health and time poverty, a holistic measurement of time remaining after all committed time, including paid and unpaid work as well as necessary time, has been accounted for. Results suggest that time poverty has a significant and negative impact on women’s health. We contribute to existing literature on gender, health and time use both empirically, by directly addressing the relationship between health and time poverty, and methodologically, with the introduction of a holistic time measurement.

Authors

• Jennifer Woltil Bouek, Brown University

• Elizabeth Brennan, Brown University

• Esha Sraboni, Brown University