Stressed in Sweden 2000-2011

Jeffrey Neilson, Lund University
Maria Stanfors, Lund University

Since the mid-1990s, stress-related illnesses have become increasingly prevalent in Sweden, particularly among women with detrimental consequences for both income and health. Although stress in Sweden may be particularly acute due to competing work and family demands, as many work full-time (including mothers), the topic has not been investigated using time use data. The Swedish Time Use Survey (2000/01 and 2010/11; N=8,564) combines a subjective measure of stress with objective measures of work- and family-characteristics and diary information on time spent on various activities, which enables us to capture multiple dimensions of the relationship between work (paid and unpaid), parenting and stress. We use econometric methods to study the role of both economic pressure and time pressure for experiences of stress from a gender perspective. Results illustrate who is stressed in Sweden, the primary work- and family-determinants, how this differs by gender and has changed over time.

Presented in Session 48: Time Use in Families