The Impact of Childcare Subsidies and Earnings Gaps on Gender Differences in Temporal Autonomy in Türkiye

Abstract

This paper examines gender differences in discretionary time in Türkiye. Discretionary time, which is defined as the time remaining after one has done what is necessary in paid work, unpaid household work and personal care, is an indicator of freedom or, more broadly, of well-being. Using the 2014–2015 time use survey of the Turkish Statistical Institute, this study has found that in general, women have less discretionary time than men. There is also a remarkable difference between how men and women use their discretionary time: women spend less of it on leisure, volunteer work and personal care and more on unpaid work than men. This study also conducted simulations to examine the effects of childcare subsidies and increases in earnings of women. The simulations showed that childcare subsidies partially narrow the discretionary time gap between men and women. Surprisingly, increases in women's earnings reduce their discretionary time, increasing time disparity in dual-earner couples. This is because increase in women's earnings increase their shares in total household paid work time, but their share of unpaid labor time remains stable. As a result, these measures should be supplemented with family-support programs that promote equality within households.