Social innovators or lagging behind: factors that influence managers' time use

The broad aim of this paper is to investigate whether managers in Australia allocate their time differently than other occupational groups, and the impact gender and life situation (using marital status and presence or absence of dependent children as a proxy) has on time allocation.

To address these broad aims, data are drawn from the 1997 Australian Time Use Survey. This is a nationally representative survey that examines how people in different circumstances allocate time to different activities.

The results of this study highlight three important issues. The first is that male and female managers display different patterns of time use. Male managers' time is dominated by paid employment activities, whereas female managers' time is spent predominantly on employment and domestic activities. The second is that life situation impacts on the time use of female managers, but not male managers. The third important find of this study is that managers' time use is different to other occupational groups.

These findings have policy implications relating to work‐life balance, career progression and changes in patterns of work. In terms of work‐life issues, it reveals that male and female managers face a “time squeeze”, with some evidence of a “second‐shift” for female managers. In addition, the findings provide insight into the work‐life issues faced by male and female managers.

The results of this inquiry provide insight into how different individuals spend their time – insight into “lifestyles”. However, in‐depth qualitative studies are required to reveal why individuals allocate their time in this way and to understand the opportunities and constraints individuals face in time allocation.