Health inequality and the use of time for workers in Europe

Gimenez-Nadal, J. Ignacio and Molina, Jose Alberto (2015): Health inequality and the use of time for workers in Europe.

Abstract

This paper analyzes the relationship between health inequality and time allocation decisions of workers in six European countries. Using the Multinational Time Use Study, we find that a better perception of own health is associated with more time devoted to market work activities in all the countries, and with less time in housework activities, for both men and women. However, the evidence for the associations between health and leisure is mixed. This study represents a first step in understanding cross-country differences in the relationship between health status and time devoted to a range of activities for workers, in contrast with other analyses that have mainly focused only on market work. A better understanding of these cross-country differences may help to identify the effects of public policies on inequalities in the uses of time.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Health, Time Allocation, Inequality, Multinational Time Use Study
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D1 - Household Behavior and Family Economics > D13 - Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J16 - Economics of Gender ; Non-labor Discrimination; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Demand and Supply of Labor > J22 - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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