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Time Alone or Together? Trends and Trade-offs Among Dual-Earner Couples, Sweden 1990–2010

Stanfors, Maria LU and Neilson, Jeffrey LU (2018) In Journal of Marriage and Family 80(1). p.80-98
Abstract
In recent decades, the dual-earner couple has become increasingly normative, potentially reducing the time couples and families spend together. The authors investigated how coupled individuals allocated time together, alone, with children, and as a family, exploring changes between 1990 and 2010 in Sweden using three waves of the Swedish Time Use Survey (N = 9,544). Ordinary least squares and decomposition analyses find a trend toward time together over time alone, with childless couples spending similar time together and parents increasing family time. The shift toward family time evolved differently for men and women, indicating gender convergence in private and public spheres, but at higher costs of time alone for women. Change is... (More)
In recent decades, the dual-earner couple has become increasingly normative, potentially reducing the time couples and families spend together. The authors investigated how coupled individuals allocated time together, alone, with children, and as a family, exploring changes between 1990 and 2010 in Sweden using three waves of the Swedish Time Use Survey (N = 9,544). Ordinary least squares and decomposition analyses find a trend toward time together over time alone, with childless couples spending similar time together and parents increasing family time. The shift toward family time evolved differently for men and women, indicating gender convergence in private and public spheres, but at higher costs of time alone for women. Change is behavioral and general, applying quite equally across gender and educational groups. There are educational gradients concerning time with children and certain qualitative aspects of time together, indicating that dual-earner society may be family friendly, but not equally for all.
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
gender, interaction, parenthood, time diary methods, time use
in
Journal of Marriage and Family
volume
80
issue
1
pages
19 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85040315400
ISSN
1741-3737
DOI
10.1111/jomf.12414
project
It's about time! Gender, parenthood and changing time use patterns, 1990-2010
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7657bd12-174f-4bef-bb86-74fb910ed38d
date added to LUP
2017-05-29 13:18:18
date last changed
2025-04-04 15:17:22
@article{7657bd12-174f-4bef-bb86-74fb910ed38d,
  abstract     = {{In recent decades, the dual-earner couple has become increasingly normative, potentially reducing the time couples and families spend together. The authors investigated how coupled individuals allocated time together, alone, with children, and as a family, exploring changes between 1990 and 2010 in Sweden using three waves of the Swedish Time Use Survey (N = 9,544). Ordinary least squares and decomposition analyses find a trend toward time together over time alone, with childless couples spending similar time together and parents increasing family time. The shift toward family time evolved differently for men and women, indicating gender convergence in private and public spheres, but at higher costs of time alone for women. Change is behavioral and general, applying quite equally across gender and educational groups. There are educational gradients concerning time with children and certain qualitative aspects of time together, indicating that dual-earner society may be family friendly, but not equally for all.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Stanfors, Maria and Neilson, Jeffrey}},
  issn         = {{1741-3737}},
  keywords     = {{gender; interaction; parenthood; time diary methods; time use}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{80--98}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Marriage and Family}},
  title        = {{Time Alone or Together? Trends and Trade-offs Among Dual-Earner Couples, Sweden 1990–2010}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12414}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/jomf.12414}},
  volume       = {{80}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}