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Tiziana Nazio (CCA)

27 October 2016

 

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Date:
27 October 2016
Event Category:

“Institutional clocks and family structures on the organization of care for children in Italy”

Abstract

Using time-use data for Italy (2008-09), on a sample of around 3.800 households with children below 14, this paper assesses the differences in the amount of time parents devote to childcare in differently shaped family structures (marital or cohabiting union, single parent and blended family), and how in turn family structure reflects in children’s time use (in which activities and with whom they spend time). Tobit models and sequence analysis examine both the overall amounts spent on activities by day and the patterns in which children engage in specific activities. Results show that family structure affects children’s time spent in several activities, but institutional clocks affect the time-patterns rather than families. Children in cohabiting families seem to have a small advantage. Single parents and blended families experience a larger structuring of their children’s time and activities out-side the household and stronger demands on their parents’ time and organizational resources.