Three essays on the allocation of time in Canada

This dissertation consists of three essays that are linked together by their focus on the allocation of time. The first essay is an analysis of time use in Canada (1986 to 2005) and the U.S. (1985 to 2005) after controlling for demographic changes. There are three main findings. First, in 2005, the average weekly hours spent on market work is higher in Canada than in the U.S. (37.29 vs. 33.29). Second, between 1986 and 2005 market work increased by an average of 3.75 hours per week in Canada, while in the U.S. it remained relatively stable. Third, over the sample period, time spent on leisure, measured in a variety of ways, increased in the U.S., while time spent on leisure generally fell in Canada; in addition, the least educated allocated more time to leisure relative to the most highly educated in both countries.;The third essay is an assessment of the nature and presence of the interdependency of the decisions to give time and money using 2004 Canadian philanthropic data. The objectives are to determine whether those who give money necessarily give time, and vice versa, and assess the impact of socioeconomic and demographic variables on donating behaviour. The main finding is that donating money increases the probability of being a volunteer, but being a volunteer does not affect the probability of donating money. Moreover, the decision to give money is the single most important determinant of the decision to give time.;In the second essay, the two most recent Canadian time diary surveys (1998 and 2005) are used to analyse the time fathers allocate to childcare and the impact of fatherhood on the time men allocate to market work. The results reveal that fathers spent, on average, more hours per week on market work than non-fathers, but that the time spent on market work increases with educational attainment of non-fathers only. In addition, fathers with higher education spent more time on childcare, even after controlling for socioeconomic and demographic factors.