Social Differences in the Attitudes Towards the Balance of Time for Paid Work and Private Life in European Perspective

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to study the social differences in the attitudes of the balance of time for paid work and private life in European countries. Data from the European Quality of Life Survey — 2016 has been used for the analysis. The applied method is descriptive statistical analysis. The results show that women more often report that their working time fits in well with their family or social commitments compared to men. The respondents in the age interval 30-44 most frequently experience difficulties with the combination of the time for paid work and that for private life. The share of people who reported that the working time does not fit in well at all with their private life is highest among the separated and divorced respondents. The percentage of people who respond negatively to the question if their working hours fit in with the family and social commitments increases with the increase of the number of children. Problems with the reconciliation of the time for paid work and private life experience more often people with lower than secondary education. Good reconciliation of the time for paid work and the time for family and other social commitments is present among the retired people who still work.