Men, women, and leisure time: Scandinavian evidence of gender inequality

Empirical evidence regarding whether men have more leisure time than women is equivocal. The present cross-national research, using Scandinavian data, first examines possible gender differences in leisure time during weekdays . Second, the study draws attention to how the determinants of leisure time operate differently for men and women. Findings indicate that Danish, Swed ish, and Norwegian women all have less leisure time during weekdays than th eir male counterparts, controlling for a number of key covariates. Furtherm ore, some of the key covariates' effects on leisure time during weekdays di ffer for men and women. Specifically, full-time employment reduces leisure time more for men than women, whereas the presence of small children in the household reduces leisure time for women than men. These findings are inte rpreted as support for dependent labor theory and women's double day, respe ctively.