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What is a weekend? A view from the margins using Indian time-use data

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  • Nicholas Li

    (Department of Economics, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada)

Abstract

The concept of the "weekend" - a weekly recurring rest period - has been widely adopted in developing countries through colonialism and globalization of commerce. But in social contexts where incomes are low, where work often takes the form of precarious casual labour and/or household/own-account enterprise, and where female labour is mostly devoted to domestic activities, what exactly is a weekend? Who gets a weekend? Are weekends chosen by workers or employers and states? What do people do on the weekend? Are weekend non-work activities similar to non-work activities during the rest of the week or do they feature an important element of social coordination of leisure? I provide some answers to these questions using detailed time-use data from India that measure the rhythms of the work week for household members aged 6 and older and shed light on how weekends vary with respect to individual, household and regional characteristics. I also discuss some normative implications of "weekends" for leisure and gender inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicholas Li, 2025. "What is a weekend? A view from the margins using Indian time-use data," Working Papers 096, Toronto Metropolitan University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:rye:wpaper:wp096
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    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • O53 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Asia including Middle East

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