The Vulnerable Hours of Leisure. New Patterns of Work and Free Time in the Netherlands 1975-'95.

As Dutch society has shed the traditional roles of men and women, the patterns of employment, household work and leisure have changed drastically. This book examines the patterns which have emerged by charting the increase in female employment, the blurring of male and female roles in the household, and how these factors affect the use of time in the Netherlands. It also focuses on the effects of the current changes in the organization of employment and the demands of the household, which allow more freedom and democratic interaction, but alter the balance of work and leisure. In an analysis of time allocation in Dutch society, Peters shows how the more equitable distribution of labour between the sexes, as well as the change of demands in the fields of home and employment, reduces time for leisure.

As Dutch society has shed the traditional roles of men and women, the patterns of employment, household work and leisure have changed drastically. This book examines the patterns which have emerged by charting the increase in female employment, the blurring of male and female roles in the household, and how these factors affect the use of time in the Netherlands. It also focuses on the effects of the current changes in the organization of employment and the demands of the household, which allow more freedom and democratic interaction, but alter the balance of work and leisure. In an analysis of time allocation in Dutch society, Peters shows how the more equitable distribution of labour between the sexes, as well as the change of demands in the fields of home and employment, reduces time for leisure.

"Striking in its breadth, Pascale Peters' Vulnerable Hours of Leisure is a major study which should be read by anyone interested in contemporary Dutch society. A veritable gold mine of fascinating statistics and information, which will be pulled down frequently from the bookshelf. Well-written, well-researched, well worth reading and buying." -Juliet Schor, Senior Lecturer at Harvard University, Professor of the Economics of Leisure, Tilburg University. Author, The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure