Abstract Donald O. Parsons. Despite this large time reallocation, comparatively little study has been devoted to the structure of the resulting work activities or to changes in that structure. In this study, data from the Mature Women s Cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey is used to characterize the life cycle evolution of work structure from an annual perspective. The analysis adopts a supply and demand framework.
Employers have preferences for an employee s weeks per year and hours per week.
Employer demands for weeks per year are likely to be influenced by seasonal and cyclical factors, while hours per week are likely to be affected by production and customer technologies. High training costs are likely to induce both greater weeks and greater hours per week. Similarly the worker is likely to have preferences over the total time she supplies to the firm and how these are divided into weeks and hours per week. For women with small children, the structure of the school year and of the school day are both likely to be important. The National Longitudinal Survey of Mature Women provides a valuable data set for the investigation of recent trends in the structure of female work activity, including the growth of part-time work.