Abstract
Veblen's theory of the leisure class has been revisited by scholars looking to understand how social inequalities interact with time use patterns in the contemporary society. They propose to invert Veblen's argument, indicating that higher socioeconomic status workers tend to spend longer hours in paid work activities. Drawing on data from a time use survey conducted in one of the largest Brazilian cities (Belo Horizonte), we find this same trend. We also found that the higher the socioeconomic status the lower the amount of time dedicated to work in the weekends and the higher the time spend in leisure activities. Whereas work time is the bases upon which inequalities between occupations take place, other analyses indicate that leisure activities show high participation rates, irrespective of the socioeconomic status or the day of the week. Thus, revisiting Veblen's theory equips us to better understand how social stratification is related to daily time use.
Keywords:
Time use; Social inequality; Labor market