86

This article aims at redefining and reintroducing temporal autonomy in paid work into time use analysis for the wage-earner population, by identifying three distinct dimensions through which it can take place. First, autonomy over work hours. Second, autonomy over not working. Third, autonomy over work organization. Using a representative sample of 8100 employees drawn from the 2010 French Time Use Survey, this article identifies eight types of temporal autonomy. Workers with “absolute constraints” who lack all forms of autonomy. Workers with “absolute autonomy” who have the ability to choose; whether or not they work, how many hours they work, and the organization of their work. Finally, workers with intermediate configurations who benefit from one form of autonomy but lack others. The most autonomous types are linked to an exacerbation of gender inequalities in time use. Whilst women who enjoy a high degree of autonomy devote more time to unpaid work and leisure, men tend to focus on paid work, which provides them with greater social recognition. These gender differences are less pronounced when temporal autonomy is very low or bounded within a fixed and routine situation. While temporal autonomy in paid work has often been excluded from the analysis of time use, or limited to the choice of working hours, we propose a multidimensional definition of temporal autonomy in order to better grasp the differences in how men and women use it.