Job situation and distribution of time: an empirical study

Abstract

Time becomes a high value item of consumer goods as, contrary to other material goods, it can neither be bought, acquired nor, of course, stored. Time does not mean the same thing to everyone, so decisions on its use vary according to personal expectations, values, likes and preferences. In spite of this, its consumption is highly conditioned by the situation in which each person finds him– or herself. This study looks at empirical research, with a sample of 1.300 people from Cordoba (Spain), that endeavours to analyse how one’s job situation affects the use made of time. The conclusions reached assess the distribution of time daily among the different groups analysed: employed, unemployed and different kinds of inactive population: students, retired and home–maker people.