Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/20093 
Year of Publication: 
2003
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 850
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We hypothesize that an individual?s time use choices are contingent on the time use choices of others because the utility derived from leisure time often benefits from the presence of companionable others inside and outside the household. We develop a model of time use, and demonstrate that its consistency with the behaviour of British working couples in the 1990s. We present evidence of the synchronisation of working hours by spouses and report estimates indicating that propensities to engage in associative activity depend on the availability of Suitable Leisure Companions outside the household. Our results indicate the importance of externalities in the working time decisions of individuals.
Subjects: 
time use
leisure
labour supply
work hours
JEL: 
D13
J22
I31
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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