Equity: How the Way We Use Time Creates Inequality

In almost all countries where it is measured women work more hours in the home while men work more hours to earn income. This simple disparity in time sets the scene for global gender inequality. Long work hours drive an either-or system which pits care against work, and it plays out in most households and societies. In some long-hour economies catastrophic fertility rates are a response, in others it is the persisting gender division in hours and earnings. Workplace tournaments mean that merit has become reframed as rewarding how long people work and how much they can do, rather than their quality and capability. Along with this gender hour-glass ceiling, generational overload adds another element. Young people now spend more time in education than ever before, and for them, the time tournament begins before they enter the labour market while they are building their skills and credentials.