The Present Location of Temporal Embeddedness: the Case of Time Linked Consumption Practices in Dual Career Families

This paper aims to develop consumer theory on time by examining the time linked consumption practices of professional dual career families. We interpret the kind of consumption practices these families use to manage their livesand found that rather than being slaves to 'time scarcity' as found in prior studies, professional dual career parents actively ‘speed up’ and ‘slow down’ time through particular consumption practices to take more control of their family lives and times. This paper utilises these empirical accounts to develop a theory of the "present location of temporal embeddedness" which not only enriches understanding of families and familial consumption but also provides a theoretical development of the concept of time within consumer research

Citation:

Shona Bettany and Caroline Gatrell (2009) ,"The Present Location of Temporal Embeddedness: the Case of Time Linked Consumption Practices in Dual Career Families", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 36, eds. Ann L. McGill and Sharon Shavitt, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 293-299.