IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wop/sprcdp/0095.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Social Participation and Family Welfare: The Money and Time Costs of Leisure

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Bittman

Abstract

The concept of social exclusion has become the central organising concept in social policy research, especially in Europe. The term ‘social exclusion’ has displaced many of the terms formerly in use, such as ‘inequality’, ‘deprivation’ and ‘poverty’. Social exclusion is a multi-dimensional concept embracing economic, social and political deprivations, that alerts us to the significance of social identity, culture, agency and, ultimately, power relations. In contrast to some earlier research traditions, the perspective of social exclusion draws our attention to how people can be ‘shut out of society’ by their inability to participate in customary leisure activities. The ability to participate in leisure is the product of both access to leisure goods and services, and a sufficient quantity of leisure time. An analysis of the most recent Household Expenditure Survey shows that the consumption of leisure goods and services is powerfully determined by income. Consequently, low income can lead to exclusion from leisure participation. However, analysis of the most recent Time Use Survey shows that access to time for leisure participation is most powerfully determined by hours of employment, family responsibilities and gender. After controlling for working hours, household income has no significant effect on available leisure time. A leisure-time poverty line, based on half-median leisure time, is used to show which groups are most excluded from leisure by time constraints. The paper considers a range of policies to alleviate social exclusion from leisure participation.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Bittman, 1999. "Social Participation and Family Welfare: The Money and Time Costs of Leisure," Discussion Papers 0095, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
  • Handle: RePEc:wop:sprcdp:0095
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/dp/dp095.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peter Saunders, 1994. "The Role, Value and Limitations of Poverty Research," Discussion Papers 0053, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    2. Sheila Shaver, 1992. "Body Rights, Social Rights and the Liberal Welfare State," Discussion Papers 0038, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Joachim Merz & Tim Rathjen, 2014. "Time And Income Poverty: An Interdependent Multidimensional Poverty Approach With German Time Use Diary Data," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(3), pages 450-479, September.
    2. Merz, Joachim & Scherg, Bettina, 2021. "Time, Income and Subjective Well-Being - 20 Years of Interdependent Multidimensional Polarization in Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 14870, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Moyin Li & Nebiyou Tilahun, 2020. "A comparative analysis of discretionary time allocation for social and non-social activities in the U.S. between 2003 and 2013," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 893-909, April.
    4. Joachim Merz & Tim Rathjen, 2011. "Intensity of Time and Income Interdependent Multidimensional Poverty: Well-Being and Minimum 2DGAP – German Evidence," FFB-Discussionpaper 92, Research Institute on Professions (Forschungsinstitut Freie Berufe (FFB)), LEUPHANA University Lüneburg.
    5. Joachim Merz & Tim Rathjen, 2016. "Entrepreneurs and Freelancers: Are They Time and Income Multidimensional Poor? - The German Case," FFB-Discussionpaper 102, Research Institute on Professions (Forschungsinstitut Freie Berufe (FFB)), LEUPHANA University Lüneburg.
    6. Joachim Merz & Tim Rathjen, 2011. "Zeit- und Einkommensarmut von Freien Berufen und Unternehmern," FFB-Discussionpaper 89, Research Institute on Professions (Forschungsinstitut Freie Berufe (FFB)), LEUPHANA University Lüneburg.
    7. Joachim Merz & Tim Rathjen, 2014. "Multidimensional time and income poverty: well-being gap and minimum 2DGAP poverty intensity – German evidence," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 12(4), pages 555-580, December.
    8. Joachim Merz & Bettina Scherg, 2013. "Polarization of Time and Income: A Multidimensional Approach with Well-Being Gap and Minimum 2DGAP ; German Evidence," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 574, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    9. Joachim Merz & Henning Stolze, 2010. "Kumulation von Querschnitten - Evaluierung alternativer Konzepte für die kumulierten laufenden Wirtschaftsrechnungen 1999 bis 2003 im Vergleich zur Einkommens- und Verbrauchsstichprobe 2003," FFB-Discussionpaper 85, Research Institute on Professions (Forschungsinstitut Freie Berufe (FFB)), LEUPHANA University Lüneburg.
    10. Iris Burmester & Bettina Scherg, 2013. "Polarisierung von Arbeitseinkommen im internationalen Vergleich – Empirische Befunde," FFB-Discussionpaper 96, Research Institute on Professions (Forschungsinstitut Freie Berufe (FFB)), LEUPHANA University Lüneburg.
    11. Tim Pawlowski & Christoph Breuer, 2012. "Expenditure elasticities of the demand for leisure services," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(26), pages 3461-3477, September.
    12. Robert Goodin & James Rice & Michael Bittman & Peter Saunders, 2005. "The Time-Pressure Illusion: Discretionary Time vs. Free Time," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 73(1), pages 43-70, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Peter Saunders, 1997. "Developing Policy Planning and Research Capabilities in the Asia Pacific," Discussion Papers 0078, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    2. Bruce Bradbury, 1996. "Are the Low Income Self-employed Poor?," Discussion Papers 0073, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    3. Peter Saunders, 1995. "Improving Work Incentives in a Means-Tested Welfare System: The 1994 Australian Social Security Reforms," Discussion Papers 0056, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    4. Peter Saunders, 1997. "Poverty, Choice and Legitimacy," Discussion Papers 0076, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    5. Peter Saunders, 1993. "Economic Adjustment and Distributional Change: Income Inequality and Poverty in Australia in the Eighties," Discussion Papers 0047, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    6. Marilyn McHugh & Jane Millar, 1996. "Sole Mothers in Australia: Supporting Mothers to Seek Work," Discussion Papers 0071, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    7. Tony Eardley & George Matheson, 1999. "Australian Attitudes to Unemployment and Unemployed People," Discussion Papers 00102, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    8. Marilyn McHugh, 1999. "The Costs of Children: Budget Standards Estimates and the Child Support Scheme," Discussion Papers 00103, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    9. Peter Whiteford, 1995. "The use of replacement rates in international comparisons of benefit systems," International Social Security Review, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 48(2), pages 3-30, April.
    10. Michael Fine, 1999. "The Responsibility for Child and Aged Care: Shaping Policies for the Future," Discussion Papers 00105, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    11. Melanie Henwood, 1999. "Home and Away: Reflections on Long-term Care in the UK and Australia," Discussion Papers 00101, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    12. Peter Saunders, 1998. "Defining Poverty and Identifying the Poor: Reflections on the Australian Experience," Discussion Papers 0084, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    13. Bjorn Hallerod, 1994. "A New Approach to the Direct Measurement of Consensual Poverty," Discussion Papers 0050, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    14. Sheila Shaver, 1998. "Extension Admidst Retrenchment: Gender and Welfare State Restructuring in Australia and Sweden," Discussion Papers 0092, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    15. Sheila Shaver, 1996. "Liberalism, Gender and Social Policy," Discussion Papers 0068, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    16. Michael Bittman & Judy Wajcman, 1999. "The Rush Hour: The Quality of Leisure Time and Gender Equity," Discussion Papers 0097, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    17. Gerry Redmond, 1999. "Tax-benefit Policies and Parents' Incentives to Work: The Case of Australia 1980-1997," Discussion Papers 00104, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    18. Maureen Baker, 1997. "The Restructuring of the Canadian Welfare State: Ideology and Policy," Discussion Papers 0077, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    19. Sheila Shaver & Peter Saunders, 1995. "Two Papers on Citizenship and Basic Income," Discussion Papers 0055, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.
    20. Peter Saunders, 1998. "Global Pressures, National Responses: The Australian Welfare State in Context," Discussion Papers 0090, University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wop:sprcdp:0095. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Thomas Krichel (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/spnswau.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.