An Ecological Examination of Elderly American Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Time Allocation

Abstract

Time allocation studies date back to the late 19th and early twentieth century (Bauman et al., 2019), but the role of race and ethnicity in shaping daily time use among elderly Americans remains underexplored (Bartel et al., 2019). Recent research has addressed related topics on timeuse that included health and well-being (Zick et al., 2019), disability and sleeping time (Shandra et al., 2014), and social interactions (Ferranna et al., 2022). This paper aimed to investigate racial and ethnic disparities in time allocation among elderly Americans using an ecological framework. The current research examined how racial/ethnic backgrounds influenced American timeuse in later life. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model (1974, 1968, 1989) offered a framework for this study, focusing on three levels of systems: the ontogenic system (demographic characteristics), the microsystem (immediate environment), and the exosystem (indirect influences like social networks and community context). The macrosystem, which reflected broader cultural and societal structures, was excluded but could inform future research. Understanding these factors may help policymakers promote racial and ethnic equity, improving active engagement in the daily lives of elderly Americans (Fetter & Lockwood, 2018).