Tiempo y desigualdad en las dinámicas laborales y familiares

The social changes in last decades have modified the time use of individuals. However, how time is used varies according to the position occupied within the social structure. This paper argues that the social inequality in the power over the time use is increasing among different socioeconomic statuses, while social policies are failing in their equalizer potential. To do so, this essay critically synthetizes three recent published books covering the cases of United States, France and Spain. Three elements that shape the social organization of time are being discussed: (a) the dependency among different social groups in time’s control and the endogeneity between family time and work time; (b) the ambivalence of flexibility regarding its relation with gender and socioeconomic status; and (c) the need for a new assessment of the social policies designated to protect the workers’ family time