Adolescent time use trends: France 1986 to 1998

International audienceThis paper examines changing patterns of adolescent time use in France from 1986 to 1998. It focuses on adolescents' aged 15 to 19, living at home with their parents, and attending school. It analyzes how the allocation of adolescent daily time is affected by respondents' gender, age, and by their parents' educational background and income. Data are taken from two national time use surveys conducted by INSEE (Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques, Paris) in 1985-1986 (n=16,046, including 559 adolescents) and in 1998-1999 (n =15,435, including 1,193 adolescents). One of the main trends in the observed period is the shift in gender roles. In 1986, girls and boys spent the same amount of time in school-related activities, in 1998, this length was higher for girls. The gender gap in domestic work has slightly narrowed. All in all, girls' total work overload has increased. The allocation of time to work, personal needs and leisure remained similar, regardless of the educational level of parents. The allocation of free time to its various subcomponents is, however, affected by parents' education: children born in highly educated families spend more time reading, going to the movies, to the theater or to shows, less time watching TV, walking, or socializing. Parents' income level is less influential. Adolescents with middle-income parents work harder at school than those from lower or upper income families