The centrality of work in contemporary societies has accelerated the experience of time, affecting moments of leisure and idleness, necessary to balance the body and provide well being. Modern women, although participating in the labor market, are still the main ones responsible for the caring of children and home. Their free time is reduced, often addressed to the fulfillment of pending tasks or family leisure. This poor leisure, fragmented by activities that are not leisure, does not appear to be satisfactory, leading to the emergence of anxiety, worry and frustration. In order to investigate the quality of free time of mothers who also have a paid job, we conducted a study with twenty women of the middle classes of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Of the reports obtained, four main themes emerged, involving: time for yourself, time for others; gender and the entitle to leisure, and the relationship between idleness and sense. Increased consumption needs, that leads women to dedicate longer hours to paid work, and their strong commitment to the role of mothers prevents them from experiencing time for themselves, which reflects negatively on their well- being and health. Moreover, the few leisure time they can afford, is largely used in personal care activities, especially focused on beautifying, which are also, in a sense, mandatory, thus not providing the expected benefits of a time that is actually free.