Change and Inequality in German Teenagers’ Typical Time-Use Sequences Between 1991 and 2013. Online Appendix

Bastian A. Betthäuser, Miriam Siglreitmaier, Anette E. Fasang

How children spend their time is widely regarded as a key factor shaping their development and wellbeing, as well as the intergenerational transmission of socio-economic and gender inequalities. While there is much evidence on the aggregate amount of time teenagers spent on different activities, we know little about how teenagers’ activities unfold during a typical day. We use social sequence analysis and data collected in 1991/92, 2001/02 and 2012/13 via high-frequency time-use diaries of teenagers aged 12-16 in Germany to provide a fine-grained description of teenagers’ everyday time-use sequences. We identify and visualize a typology of teenagers’ time-use during weekdays and weekend days, respectively, which groups teenagers into clusters of typical time-use sequences. These typical time-use sequences change in prevalence over time, and are stratified by teenagers’ socio-economic background, gender, and age. Our findings reveal the sequential structure of teenagers’ time use, provide new evidence corroborating theories of the social stratification of teenagers’ time use, and complement existing evidence on teenagers’ aggregate time-use. Our identification of teenagers’ typical time-use sequences forms the basis for future research to examine their causes and consequences, as well as their role in the reproduction of social inequalities.

---

Change and Inequality in German Teenagers’ Typical Time-Use Sequences Between 1991 and 2013

Bastian A. Betthäuser, Miriam Siglreitmaier, Anette E. Fasang, Bastian A. Betthäuser, Miriam Siglreitmaier, Anette E. Fasang, Bastian A. Betthäuser, Miriam Siglreitmaier, Anette E. Fasang

How children spend their time is widely regarded as a key factor shaping their development and wellbeing, as well as the intergenerational transmission of socio-economic and gender inequalities. While there is much evidence on the aggregate amount of time teenagers spent on different activities, we know little about how teenagers’ activities unfold during a typical day. We use social sequence analysis and data collected in 1991/92, 2001/02 and 2012/13 via high-frequency time-use diaries of teenagers aged 12-16 in Germany to provide a fine-grained description of teenagers’ everyday time-use sequences. We identify and visualize a typology of teenagers’ time-use during weekdays and weekend days, respectively, which groups teenagers into clusters of typical time-use sequences. These typical time-use sequences change in prevalence over time, and are stratified by teenagers’ socio-economic background, gender, and age. Our findings reveal the sequential structure of teenagers’ time use, provide new evidence corroborating theories of the social stratification of teenagers’ time use, and complement existing evidence on teenagers’ aggregate time-use. Our identification of teenagers’ typical time-use sequences forms the basis for future research to examine their causes and consequences, as well as their role in the reproduction of social inequalities.

---

Time Dedicated to Unpaid Housework and Caregiving in Costa Rica: Does Greater Household Income Imply a More Equal Gender Distribution?

Catherine Mata, Marya Hillesland, Leanne Roncolato

Using Costa Rica’s annual nationally representative household survey, Encuesta Nacional de Hogares (ENAHO), this study explores how household income and poverty are associated with gender differences in time spent on unpaid housework and caregiving in Costa Rica, 2011- 2014. We find a considerable difference in men’s and women’s average time spent in unpaid work, with women dedicating considerably more time. While women's time in unpaid work is weakly linked to household income, men exhibit a stronger negative association between income and unpaid work, albeit with minimal differences in magnitude across income brackets. When individual and household characteristics are considered, men’s and women's estimated time allocation remains relatively consistent across the income distribution, suggesting insensitivity to variations in income or poverty status. Gender disparities persist regardless of income quintiles, poverty levels, age, and household structures. These findings underscore the stark contrast in time allocation between genders, emphasizing the need for further examination of societal norms and structural factors shaping unpaid labor dynamics.

---

Measuring Time Devoted to Supervisory Care: a Cognitive Study

Araceli Damián-González, Nancy Folbre, Cecilia Tinonin

The provision of unpaid care meets fundamental needs of present and future generations alike. A number of nationally-representative time use surveys, including many conducted in Latin America, look beyond reports of time devoted to specific activities to ask respondents about responsibilities for remaining vigilant and physically available to assist young children and /or adults experiencing illness or disability even if not providing active care. Such supervisory care imposes significant constraints on women in particular, but is difficult to accurately measure. The qualitative research reported here, based on intensive interviews conducted with a small group of family care providers in Mexico City, helps explain why respondents often misunderstand questions regarding time devoted to the care of dependents. This misunderstanding has repercussions for reported time in supervisory care, which is usually underreported or omitted in time-use measurement. The paper also offers specific recommendations for improved survey design. Accurate data on supervisory care can inform public policies to broaden the spectrum of public and private services.

---