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Working time preferences, hours mismatch and well-being of couples: Are there spillovers?

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  • Wunder, Christoph
  • Heineck, Guido

Abstract

We analyze how well-being is related to working time preferences and hours mismatch. Selfreported measures of life satisfaction are used as an empirical approximation of true wellbeing. Our results indicate that well-being is generally lower among workers with working time mismatch. Particularly underemployment is detrimental for well-being. We further provide first evidence on spillovers from the partner's working time mismatch. However, the spillover becomes insignificant once we control for the partner's well-being. This suggests that well-being is contagious, and the spillover is due to interdependent utilities. Females experience the highest well-being when their partner is working full-time hours. Male wellbeing is unaffected over a wide interval of the partner's working hours.

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  • Wunder, Christoph & Heineck, Guido, 2012. "Working time preferences, hours mismatch and well-being of couples: Are there spillovers?," BERG Working Paper Series 85, Bamberg University, Bamberg Economic Research Group.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:bamber:85
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    subjective well-being; life satisfaction; working time preferences; working time mismatch; spillovers; utility interdependence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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