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Title: Assimilation Effects Beyond the Labor Market: Time Allocations of Mexican Immigrants to the U.S.

Citation Type: Conference Paper

Publication Year: 2010

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Abstract: The objective of this paper is to analyze how Mexican immigrants patterns of time use compare to that of U.S. natives, taking into account assimilation and inter-generational effects. In particular, we want to know how the amounts of time immigrants devote to other activities change as they assimilate to the labor market. We do this analysis within a household production framework, considering the husband and wifes allocation of time to various activities. For our estimation we use the American Time Use Survey Data Extract Builder (ATUS-X) from 2003 to 2009. Our estimates indicate that at the time of arrival to the U.S. Mexican husbands work on the market for longer periods of time than NH natives, but they devote the same or less time to household work. On the other hand, newly arrived Mexican wives work more time on the household than NH natives, but they allocate the same or less time to market work. Furthermore, Mexican husbands commute more time than NH natives, while immigrant wives spend a similar amount of time than NH natives on this activity. As their American experience accumulates, immigrant husbands and wives allocate more time to market work, commuting, and household work than NH natives. We also find that Mexican couples sleep more and devote less time to care for other household members than NH whites, but they devote the same amount of time for these activities than NH blacks. The gaps on the sleeping and caring times between Mexican and NH white couples narrows with years since migration. Our results also indicate that Mexican couples enjoy less leisure time than NH natives and that this gap widens with years in the U.S. Furthermore, we find that first generation husbands exercise less than NH natives, whereas immigrant wives exercise a similar amount of time to whites and more than blacks. The gaps in the exercise times of immigrants and natives become insignificant with years in the U.S. In addition, we find that, at the time of arrival, immigrant wives purchase for the same amount of time as NH natives ones, while Mexican husbands shop more time than NH whites and the same as NH Blacks. Finally, we find that immigrant wives eat for longer periods of time than NH natives, while Mexican husbands eat for the same amount of time than NH whites but for longer periods than NH blacks.

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Authors: Vargas, Andres J.; Chavez, Manuel

Conference Name: Hispanic Economic Issues Conference, The Americas Center at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Publisher Location: Atlanta, GA

Data Collections: IPUMS Time Use - ATUS

Topics: Family and Marriage, Gender, Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Migration and Immigration

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