ABSTRACT
One sign of recognition that time-use data produce societally pertinent results has been the emergence of time-use studies commissioned by major public institutions and utilizing large representative samples of 10,000 or more. National statistical/census/labor organizations and media corporations alike find time-use information relevant to a variety of considerations. At the very least, such large representative samples make it possible to examine confidently the aggregate time-use of a nation and its change. Furthermore, the size and internal diversity of these samples make possible analyses focusing on differences attributable to common subgroups in society, to the extent that these groups have been consciously identified in the data and the numbers of respondents in these groups are sufficient enough for analysis. Certainly, studies of variations in time-use by gender, social class, stage in the life cycle, and major employment characteristics are facilitated by large representative national samples.
