In the majority of couples, the partners synchronise their sleep; however, synchrony is not the same across all social classes: the sleep of white-collar and blue-collar couples is the most out of sync. Based on the Time Use Surveys conducted in 1986, 1999 and 2010, we are creating a sleep organisation typology for couples in order to study the factors behind desynchronisation and the ways in which they have changed between the mid-1980s and the late 2000s. Between these two dates, an increase in desynchronisation has been observed in almost all social classes due to an increase in the amount of time spent watching television. However, inequality with regard to working hours remains the principal factor behind the differences in sleep synchronisation. Sleep desynchronisation also reflects gender inequalities in the division of work between couples, with men and women undertaking different activities while their partner is sleeping.

Citation: Rauch, C. (2021). Social Inequalities and the Desynchronisation of Sleep Within Couples. Economie et Statistique / Economics and Statistics, 522-523, 81–104.
https://doi.org/10.24187/ecostat.2021.522d.2040