The Increase in Leisure Inequality 1965-2005

By Erik Hurst, Mark Aguiar, Mark Aguir

An eye-opening, data-rich examination of how leisure time has quietly reshaped American inequality, where economists Mark Aguiar and Erik Hurst mine forty years and tens of thousands of survey responses to reveal surprising shifts in work-life balance, time allocation, and wellbeing across the wealth gap, essential reading for anyone rethinking what economic inequality really means today.

Using data spanning forty years and tens of thousands of survey respondents, Mark Aguiar and Erik Hurst seek to answer several key questions about leisure inequality: How much has the leisure time of the average American increased or decreased over the last several decades?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0844743135
• ISBN13: 9780844743134
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: AEI Press
• Length: 74 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

A fascinating read that sheds some light on modern America, enthusiastically recommended

The rich take multiple trips to exotic locations every year. The poor get maybe a weekend at a nearby relative's. Maybe. "The Increase in Leisure Inequality 1965-2005" discusses how America's working class more and more often seems to be getting less leisure time, being forced to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Mark Aguiar & Erik Hurst investigate these trends pointing out inconsistencies at multiple levels in society, who gets the most time for themselves, and most importantly, why it matters. "The Increase in Leisure Inequality" is a fascinating read that sheds some light on modern America, enthusiastically recommended.

An interesting discussion exploring why the educated tend to work more hours than those with less ed

Doesn't the popular image of the rich versus the poor present the rich enjoying the benefits of their wealth largely without toil while we masses are required to work ever more hours for the same or less money? This little monograph by Mark Aguiar and Erik Hurst takes a look at the patterns of leisure time among the wealthy and the poor. They admit the struggles they have with identifying what is work and what is leisure. For example, one person might find cooking to be work while another finds it a leisure time enjoyment. (But what about people like me who enjoy cooking but find it a lot of work nonetheless?) Their discussion is presented in five chapters. In the first they discuss why they did the study and what their methodology was in determining how people allocate their time. The second chapter looks at the trends on time allocation and tease out how educational attainment explains time allocation patterns. It turns out that since 1965, the less educated men have more leisure time and those with more education have less. Chapter three adds employment status to educational attainment and looks at 1985 versus recent years (2003-2005). Chapter four decomposes the differences to see of employment status can explain the difference. Chapter five offers their conclusion (and caveats). You may well have differences with the methods and conclusions of these authors, but I found it to be an interesting discussion. For example, I would express one of their conclusions somewhat differently. They say that it might well be that the less well educated might well prefer leisure over work. I would say that it might well be that the at the pay rate they can earn at their educational level is not sufficient to motivate them to work. Just as the Laffer Curve points out that at a certain level, high taxes are disincentive to investment and earning (because each additional dollar earned is less valuable), many of the working poor find that spending the extra hours in low paying and stultifying work to be less gratifying than doing something else with the time. They might well choose to work more if they were paid more, but they may lack the skills to justify the higher pay. So, they are caught in a bind. This kind of discussion is interesting and thought provoking and one our society should have more often. Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI.