ABSTRACT
How do families juggle the competing demands of paid employment and care for one another? The ways that people spend their time are surely as important as the ways they spend their money. Opportunities for close personal and emotional interaction are key to the quality of life and the development of human capabilities. Yet, modern accounting systems devote far more attention to money than to time. National statistical agencies have only recently begun to collect systematic time-use diaries that allow for accurate cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons. The growing availability of these important data intensifies the need to develop strong conceptual frameworks for understanding the ways people allocate their time.
