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We investigate the nature of measurement error in time-use data. Analysis of "stylized" recall questionnaire estimates and diary-based estimates of housework time from the same respondents of a British survey gives evidence of systematic biases in the stylized estimates and large random errors in both types of estimates. We examine the effect of these measurement problems on three common types of statistical analyses in which the time-use variable is used as: (1) adependent variable, (2) an explanatory variable, and (3) a basis for cross-tabulations. We develop methods to correct the biases induced by these measurement errors.

Sequence-alignment methods which have been recently introduced in time-use research analyse the cross-sectional as well as the sequential information embedded in space–time activity-diary data. As these methods have been developed to trace the evolutionary history of random mutations of the elements in biological sequences, they are not appropriate to measure the distances by which activities change their sequential order in activity diaries. In this paper we report on the development of a position-sensitive sequence-alignment method for activity analysis. First, the problem is specified, and the key concepts to analyse the problem are addressed. Then, the principles of the new method are introduced. The method is illustrated with data on activity patterns collected in the Netherlands. The paper concludes with a critical discussion of the basic assumptions of the method and avenues of future research are identified.

Income as the traditional one dimensional measure in well-being and poverty analyses is extended in recent studies by a multidimensional poverty concept. Though this is certainly a progress, however, two important aspects are missing: time as an important dimension and the interdependence of the often only separately counted multiple poverty dimensions. Our paper will contribute to both aspects: First, we consider time - and income - both as striking and restricting resources of everyday activities and hence account for time and income as important multiple poverty dimensions. Second, the interdependence of the poverty dimensions will be evaluated by the German population to allow an advanced approach to understand possible substitution effects and the respective trade offs between the dimensions. Referring to the time dimension, we follow Sen's capability approach with its freedom of the living conditions' choice and social exclusion and argue, that restricted time might exclude from social participation. In particular, restricted genuine, personal leisure time (not entire leisure time) in particular is associated with a restricted social participation. The crucial question then is how to measure the substitution between income and such genuine leisure time. In our analysis we consider the country population's valuation with data from the German Socio-Economic Panel and estimate the substitution by a CES-utility function of general utility/satisfaction. Given this quantification we disentangle time, income and interdependent multidimensional poverty regimes characterising the working poor. In addition, we quantify further socio-economic influences for each interdependent multidimensional poverty regime by a multinomial logit based on time use diary data of the German Time Use Study 2001/02. One striking result for Germany: the substitution between time and income is significant and we find an important fraction of time poor who are unable to substitute their time deficit by income. These poor people are ignored within the poverty and well-being as well as the time crunch and time famine discussion so far. -- Interdependent multidimensional time and income poverty ; time and income substitution ; extended economic well-being ; satisfaction ; CES utility function estimation ; working poor ; German Socio-Economic Panel ; German Time Use Surveys 2001/02

The labour market providing individual resources and economic well-being is still a topic in the economic and social policy discussion. In the course of time the traditional full-time work is diminishing, new labour arrangements are discussed (keyword: flexible labour markets). This study will contribute to the discussion of working hour arrangements by quantifying patterns of explanation of who is working when within a workday. In particular we want to disentangle certain working hour patterns and the final hours of work according to those different patterns allowing for market and non-market influences. The daily working hour patterns are analysed by two dimensions: the fragmentation of a working day (by the number of working episodes) and the timing of work time by location of those episodes within the day's period. Deducting such patterns allows not only to describe possible workday interruptions and workday behaviour in general, but to give hints for which groups of the society non-traditional working time is important. Once quantified, labour market policy has a sound base for a targeted policy. Our model is based on a microeconomic labour supply approach, however extended by two dimensions: first, by daily working time arrangements with focus on core and non-core working time crossed by number of episodes and, second, by labour supply factors in a market and non-market context. Our microeconometric estimates use a multinomial logit (MNL) model to explain the working hour arrangement probability and a MNL selectivity bias corrected hours estimation for arrangement specific working hours with correct asymptotic covariances. Our study is the first German study of this kind which could analyse the actual available German Time Use Survey 1991/92 from the Federal Statistical Office with ca. 32.000 time diaries. ; Der Arbeitsmarkt als Quelle wirtschaftlichen Wohlstands steht weiterhin in der öffentlichen Debatte zur Wirtschafts- und Sozialpolitik. In jüngster Zeit, in der der traditionelle Vollzeitarbeitsplatz an Bedeutung verliert, werden insbesondere neue Formen der Arbeitszeitgestaltung diskutiert (Stichwort: flexible Arbeitsmärkte).Die vorliegende Arbeit trägt zur Diskussion solcher Arbeitszeitarrangements bei, indem Modelle quantifiziert werden, die die Frage klären: Wer arbeitet zu welcher Tageszeit? Insbesondere wollen wir marktmäßige und nicht-marktmäßige Einflüsse auf die Wahl bestimmter Muster von Arbeitszeit und der Länge der täglichen Arbeitszeit bestimmen. Die Arbeitszeitmuster untersuchen wir hinsichtlich zweier Dimensionen: der Zerstückelung des Arbeitstages in mehrere Episoden von Arbeit und der zeitlichen Lage dieser Episoden. Mit der Identifizierung der Arbeitszeitmuster lässt sich auch herausfinden, für welche sozialen Gruppen nicht tradierte Arbeitszeiten von Bedeutung sind. Diese quantitativen Auswertungen bieten der Arbeitsmarktpolitik eine Grundlage für eine zielgerichtete Politik.Unser Modell basiert auf einem mikroökonomischen Arbeitsangebotsansatz erweitert um zwei Dimensionen:: einerseits um die Muster täglicher Arbeitszeit, andererseits um Arbeitsangebotsfaktoren im Kontext marktmäßiger und nicht-marktmäßiger Aktivitäten. In unseren mikroökonometrischen Schätzungen verwenden wir ein multinomiales Logit (MNL) zur Erklärung der Wahrscheinlichkeit, ein bestimmtes Arbeitszeitmuster zu wählen, und eine MNL-selektionskorrigierte Schätzung der Arbeitszeit mit der dazugehörigen asymptotischen Kovarianzmatrix. Unsere Studie ist die erste dieser Art, die die aktuell zugänglichen deutschen Zeitverwendungserhebung 1991/92 des Statistischen Bundesamtes mit ihren 32000 Zeittagebüchern auswertet.

OBJECTIVES: Quick returns (<11 hours of rest between shifts) have been associated with shortened sleep length and increased sleepiness, but previous efforts have failed to find effects on sleep quality or stress. A shortcoming of most previous research has been the reliance on subjective measures of sleep. The aim of this study was to combine diary and actigraphy data to investigate intra-individual differences in sleep length, sleep quality, sleepiness, and stress during quick returns compared to day-day transitions.
METHODS: Of 225 nurses and assistant nurses who wore actigraphy wristbands and kept a diary of work and sleep for seven days, a subsample of 90 individuals with one observation of both a quick return and a control condition (day-day transition) was extracted. Sleep quality was assessed with actigraphy data on sleep fragmentation and subjective ratings of perceived sleep quality. Stress and sleepiness levels were rated every third hour throughout the day. Shifts were identified from self-reported working hours. Data was analyzed in multilevel models.
RESULTS: Quick returns were associated with 1 hour shorter sleep length [95% confidence interval (CI) -1.23– -0.81], reduced subjective sleep quality (-0.49, 95% CI -0.69– -0.31), increased anxiety at bedtime (-0.38, 95% CI -0.69– -0.08) and increased worktime sleepiness (0.45, 95%CI 0.22– 0.71), compared to day-day transitions. Sleep fragmentation and stress ratings did not differ between conditions.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings of impaired sleep and increased sleepiness highlight the need for caution when scheduling shift combinations with quick returns.

Now that married women are working more for pay than they were three decades ago, are they less likely to volunteer? I use national time diary surveys conducted in 1965, 1975, 1985, and 1993 to document a decrease in the weekly volunteer participation rate of working-age married women, from 16.4% in 1965 to 9.3% in 1993. Changes in observable characteristics explain about 65% of the decrease in married women's volunteer participation from 1965 to 1985. The increased employment rates of married women as well as the changes in their parental status are substantial contributors to the decline in their volunteer participation. Married women's gain in educational attainment is the most important factor to offset the decline in their volunteer participation. However, married women's changing labor force and parental status do not explain why married women's volunteer participation continued to decline from 1985 to 1993.