A Review of the Economics of Family Time Use

Time is a limited resource. Yet, it is also the one resource with which all individuals are equally endowed on any given day. Why then is there such wide variation in how each of us chooses to use that time? What factors guide our decisions about time spent working versus time spent with family and friends?

Why is it that activity patterns vary by gender, education level, and life cycle stage? In this essay, we review the economic model of household production that has been applied to investigations of family time use and summarize the insights that have been gained from the empirical tests of this model. In addition, we discuss the model's strengths and shortcomings, and we recommend where family scholars should devote their future energies if we are to make further strides in understanding why time use varies so across families.