March 10, 2023
In a new paper, authored by Dr. Williamson and former graduate student Megan Schouweiler, we examined whether a lack of quality time together could be one problem facing low-income couples. Using time diaries from a sample of nearly 15,000 married couples, we find that lower income couples spend less time together than higher income couples, and also report feeling more stressed during their time together than higher income couples. There were some important moderators, including whether the couple has children, whether it was a weekday or a weekend, and the number of hours worked by the couple. Overall, these results indicate that quality and quantity of time may be important factors in understanding differences in relationship outcomes between lower and higher income couples.
