1. Indicator

(a)     Name: Time spent on leisure, paid and unpaid work, and travelling.

(b)     Brief Definition: This indicator monitors time allocation and distribution among activities related to paid work, unpaid work, leisure or free time, and travelling. 

(c)          Unit of Measurement: hours per day or hours per week.

(d)         Placement in the CSD Indicator Set: The indicator is part of the set of indicators of consumption and production patterns.  It is not included in the general CSD indicator set.

 2. Policy Relevance

(a)          Purpose: The indicators have two main purposes: (i) to assess different lifestyles through the distribution and allocation of time; and (ii) to understand the role of men and women in contributing to the well-being of families, communities and the nation. The former has traditionally been the objective of time-use surveys in developed countries. The second is increasingly important and is the main reason for undertaking time-use surveys today in both developed and developing countries. The work of women is often inadequately measured, especially if carried out within the household.  Time-use data are uniquely able to measure the different activities of women and men in the economic/non-economic dichotomy of national accounting.

(b)         Relevance to Sustainable/Unsustainable Development: Time-spent in different activities reflects different lifestyles.  It can be used to infer demand for infrastructure and for goods and services for those activities.  It is important to determine the proportion of time spent on paid and unpaid work to see the time contribution by each adult for productive work.  Leisure activities have differing degrees of environmental impacts.  Some types of recreational activities, eco-tourism for example, have a potential positive effect.  Mass tourism, on the other hand, can cause water pollution and land degradation.  Air and car travel also have negative environmental impacts.  By monitoring the time allocation for these activities, the indicator can be used to infer socio-economic and environmental impacts of these activities.

(c)         International Conventions and Agreements: None

(d)         International Targets / Recommended Standards: None. 

(e)                Linkages to Other Indicators: This indicator is linked with transportation indicators.

3. Methodological Description

(a)         Underlying Definitions and Concepts: Eurostat has developed harmonized definitions and concepts for collecting time-use data among European countries. Many developed countries undertake time-use surveys, but the methods of collection used are not directly applicable to developing countries where a large proportion of the population may not be able to read and write and where many economic activities, such as subsistance agriculture and work in family enterprises, take place outside the market.  An international classification for activities in time-use surveys is being developed by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) (see time-use surveys web-site: http://www.un.org/Depts/UNSD/timeuse/inter.htm).

Paid and unpaid work can be defined using the concepts of the 1993 System of National Accounts. Unpaid work can be classified into three types: (i) housework, child care and other family-related services not recognized by SNA as economic activity; (ii) subsistence and non-market activities such as agriculture production for household consumption and imputed rent of owner-occupied dwellings, which are treated by SNA as economic output valued on the basis of the market value of similar services that are sold; (iii) household enterprises producing for the market for which more than one household member provides unpaid labour.

Leisure or free time includes personal care and leisure activities.  It excludes paid and unpaid work, travel time, sleep and meal times.

(b)         Measurement Methods: There are no internationally agreed methods for undertaking time-use surveys. However, the United Nations Statistics Division is preparing a web site which contains questions, diaries, and manuals for national surveys, intended mainly for developing countries. The web site will also provide a discussion forum to exchange ideas on the methods used.

(c)            Limitation of the Indicator: There is often a confusion about the meaning of the term “unpaid work”. It has been variously used to refer to: (i) work done for the household or family, such as housework, child care and family-related services not recognized in national accounting as economic activity; (ii) subsistence and other non-market  activities such as volunteer work; (iii) work in family enterprises for the market.  While categories (ii) and (iii) are not important in developed countries, they are in developing countries and need to be distinguished.

(d)        Status of the Methodology:

(e)            Alternative Definitions / Indicators:

4. Assessment of Data

(a)          Data Needed to Compile these Indicators: The main source is a time-use survey or a special module included in a labour force or income and expenditure survey. designed for the purpose of collecting this type of data.

(b)         National and International Data Availability:

Many developed countries have time-use data. Recently a number of developing countries have started conducting time-use surveys, as part of the official statistics, but often on a pilot level. In developing countries, these statistics are not generally available as part of official statistics, but in future years they may be more widely available.

The data may be available in the national statistical office or in academic and research institutions.

(c)    Data References: 

5. Agencies Involved in the Development of the Indicator

Lead Agency:United Nations Statistical Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).  The contact point is the Director, Statistics Division, DESA; fax no. (1 212) 963 9851.

Other organizations: Eurostat.

6. References

(a)                Readings:

Handbook for Producing National Statistical Reports on Women and Men. United Nations Sales No. E.97.XVII.10

Methods of Measuring Women’s Participation and Production in the Informal Sector. United Nations Sales No. E.90.XVII.16

Report I: Measurement of Employment in the Informal Sector. Meeting of Expert on Labour Statistics, ILO Geneva 28 January-6 February 1992.

The World’s Women 1995: Trends and Statistics. Sales No. E.95.XVII.2.

The World’s Women 2000: Trends and Statistics. Sales No. E.00.XVII.14.

(b)            Internet sites:

Time-Use Surveys. United Nations Statistics Division Web Site: http://www.un.org/Depts/UNSD/timeuse/inter.htm.