Time Poverty and Quality of Life in Dual-Earner Families with Preschool Children: A Comparison between Time-Poor and Non-Time-Poor Groups Based on Personal Care Time

Abstract

This study analyzes diverse factors in time poverty and quality of life in dual-earner families with preschool children that pertain to the individual, family, and occupation. Data were taken from the 17th edition of the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study developed by the Korea Labor Institute in 2014. The sample consists of 826 households who are dual-earner families with preschool children. The major findings are as follows. First, this study identified inadequacies in personal care time for dual-earner families with preschool children. Second, the results show that gender, recognition of gender role, and overall satisfaction of occupation are related to the time poverty of dualearner families. Men are more likely to experience time poverty than women, and equal recognition of gender role and satisfaction of occupation indicate a negative relation on the time poverty of dual-earner families with preschool children. Last, quality of life in non-time-poor groups is higher than for groups who experience time poverty. Also, health state, earned income, work-family life conflict, and overall satisfaction of occupation are commonly related to quality of life in both groups. The results suggest implications for comprehensive policies to address family time issues.