1. Trends in Work-life Balance: Evidence from the Multinational Time Use Study (MTUS) Jonathan Gershuny Revised 22/5/2008 For Centre for Time Use Research (CTUR) www.timeuse.org

2. Introduction Academic motivation »Running out of time? »Womens dual burden? »A harried leisure class? Introduction to the MTUS Work/life imbalance »Puzzles of the work/leisure triangle »Work gets less gendered »The superordinate working class

3. > 1 century of leisure growth Marx 1866: exploitation rate=time dominance Veblen 1908 the leisure class Dumazadier 1960 the leisure society Linder 1970 harried leisure class Vanek 1974, counterintuitive technology Meissner et al 1975, dual burden Schor 1990 vs Robinson&Godbey 1999 Esping Andersen 1999, Jacobs&Gerson 2004

4. Multinational Time Use Study N of days 1961-691970-751976-841985-891990-941995-992000-04 Canada213826829618893610726() Denmark4069(2389)() France(2898)(4633)()15318 Nethlands129227273263315832271649 Norway6516606861297675 UK92921750718060190619400 USA2021701049359386115120340 Finland119081521910076 Italy(2116)37764() Australia31811380614071() Sweden70657747 Germany(3687)25775() Austria25162 S. Africa14217 Slovenia12273 Belgium, Hungary, Czech, Yugoslavia, Israel, Spain, Portugal etc N =457,135

12. Veblen: Theory of the Leisure Class Leisure as the badge of honour –Conspicuous leisure denoting superordinate social status. –imperative…the requirement of abstention from productive work. (p36) The principle of emulation: –Each rank of society seeks to emulate the pattern of life of that rank immediately above it in terms of prestige. Empirical implication: –positive leisure/status gradient

17. The superordinate working class The centrality of knowledge in post- industrial society (Daniel Bell 1975) –knowledge elites and the technocracy –Post-materialism…. or Gordon Gecko? Economic primacy of human capital –Population ageing hum cap formation as key means of intergenerational status transmission –Income from human capital during working life, from wealth in retirement. –Highest incomes from work not wealth. work as the new badge of honour

21. Conclusions –Academic issues: –Running out of time? –Womens dual burden? –A harried leisure class? –Work/life imbalance? –Work gets less gendered –The superordinate working class –Continued puzzles of the work/leisure triangle. –The new release of the MTUS….