Abstract
This paper investigates the relationship between work time arrangements and personal well-being in married and cohabiting couples. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Survey (SOEP), we study how the number of hours worked by the survey respondents and their partners influenced their own well-being. We also investigate possible transmission mechanisms between the two variables, namely income, hours spent in homemaking and care activities, and possible mismatch between desired and actual hours. Using Hybrid panel models we find evidence of different relations according to the respondent’s gender: Women report higher satisfaction with the increase of their partner’s working hours, while the opposite is true for men. At the same time, own hours have a positive effect on men’s life satisfaction, while they have the opposite effect for women. The presence of young children in the household further amplifies these results. Our conclusion is that respondents are happier when their and their partner’s behavior conforms to the roles of female homemaker and male breadwinner. Considering the absence of a strong mechanism related to time needs and time desires, we suggest those results are related to strong traditional attitudes towards gender roles and female labor force participation in the country considered.
Highlights
Time is a central resource for well-being
Considering the absence of a strong mechanism related to time needs and time desires, we suggest those results are related to strong traditional attitudes towards gender roles and female labor force participation in the country considered
With this framework, our first hypothesis is (HP1a) women will be negatively affected in their life satisfaction by their amount of working hours, especially when young children are present in the household and (HP1b) men will be positively affected in their life satisfaction by the amount of hours they work
Summary
Time is a central resource for well-being. The way in which families structure and organise their everyday lives determines the health and life satisfaction of all family members (Ross et al 1990). Other studies suggest that women working full-time or longer are most satisfied with life (Schröder 2018). Men with and without children seem to be most satisfied with life when working full-time or longer (Schröder 2018). Previous research on the relationship between working hours and well-being of men and women with and without children has focused primarily on one family member Empirical evidence on the relationship between working time and health in the US shows that weekly working hours of more than 50 hours for men are accompanied by better health for their partner, while working hours of between 41 and 49 hours for women reduce the health of their partner (Kleiner & Pavelko 2014). We examine three potential ways of transmission: resources, worktime desires, and time needs
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