Integrating a Gender Perspective into Time Use Statistics Session 8

1. Integrating a Gender Perspective into Time Use StatisticsSession 8 Rachid Bouhia Bouhia@un.org

2. Quantitative summaries of how individuals “spend” or allocate their time over a specified period (typically over the 24 hours of a day or over the 7 days of a week) They shed light on: What individuals in the reference population do or the activities they engage in How much time is spent doing each of these activities What are Time Use Statistics?

3. An “emerging” field? • TUS since 1990: • 185 Time use surveys were conducted worldwide • 92 (50%) in “developing countries” • 93 (50%) in “developed countries” (total of 35 countries/territories only) • In total 85 distinct countries: • 28 “developed countries” (that is 80% of developed countries which conducted a TUS) • 57 “developing countries” (that is around 36% of developing countries which conducted a TUS)

4. An “emerging” field?

5. Current context: growing interest • So far in developed countries, main purpose = traditional concern of labour-leisure tradeoff However, revival of interest: • “Stiglitz Commission”on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social progress : Recommendation 5 ("Broaden income measures to non-market activities") "This should start with information on how people spend their time that is comparable both over the years and across countries. Comprehensive and periodic accounts of household activity as satellites to the core national accounts should complement the picture“ • Supplementing National Accounts through Satellite accounts

6. Implications for Gender Statistics • This need of improving the measurement of unpaid activities and household production coincides with the general aim of integrating gender perspectives into official statistics • Reveals activities and social phenomena which are not well captured in traditional statistical system but where inequalities between women and men are numerous and complex (drastic change of women’s contribution to GDP for example, distribution of domestic tasks within the household…)

7. Flash-back: underutilization of Time Use Data  

8. Outline • My presentation will be divided into two main parts • How Time Use data can cover some areas relevant for Gender Statistics that have been quite neglected so far • Critical points specific to Time Use data collection to be considered in order to limit “gender bias”

9. Flash back II: Uncovered areas Many areas related to the contribution of women and men in the economy

10. Unpaid work Limitations of conventional labour statistics: • Activities that contribute to the production of goods and services as defined by the SNA and cover mainly market activities and some unpaid non-market activities. • Unpaid work referring to own account production of services are outside the general boundary of SNA and therefore not covered at all

11. Unpaid work Examples of unpaid work: • Unpaid domestic services for own final use within household: cleaning, cooking, do-it-yourslf decoration • Unpaid caregiving services to household members: childcare, adultcare… • Community services and help to other households: volunteering, repairs of dwellings…

12. Unpaid work Why is it important for gender statistics? • Measuring unpaid work is crucial in making the contribution of women to the economy and society more visible. • Women, more often than men, tend to be involved and spend a great amount of time in unpaid work in the home and community. • When only cash transactions are taken into account in measuring the economic production, a large portion of women’s work remains unaccounted for.

13. Unpaid work: New Zealand • Men and women spend about the same amount of time working: 49 hours a week.3 • However, females spent two hours a day more than males on unpaid work, while males spent two hours a day more than females on paid work. • While approximately 60 percent of males’ work is paid, almost 70 percent of females’ work is unpaid.

14. Satellite Accounts • Definition: the System of National Accounts recommends the use of supplementary accounts for nonmarket activities rather than the expansion of existing accounts. • Allow for experimentation with changes in scope and measurement. • Consistent and could be used with the existing national accounts without overburdening them

15. Satellite Accounts • Direct application of measuring unpaid work: estimating household production in satellite accounts that extend measurement of gross domestic product (GDP) to include non-SNA production • Makes the national accounts more complete and comparable across countries

16. Satellite Accounts: major challenge • How to valuate household time: different approaches • Opportunity cost approach: Focus on the intrinsic productivity of the individual. Time spent on doing unpaid work valued as potential time non spent on the labour market regardless of the activity • Market price approach: Focus on the specificity of the unpaid activity which is done. Valued as if it was done by a professional. Within: different concepts and methods to determine the exact hourly compensation • TUS data should be in line with the concepts and the avaibility of Labour statistics

17. Satellite Accounts: Philippines

18. Satellite Accounts: Philippines

19. Outline • My presentation will be divided into two main parts • How Time Use data can cover some areas relevant for Gender Statistics that have been quite neglected so far • Critical points specific to Time Use data collection to be considered in order to limit “gender bias”

20. Diary versus stylized questionnaire Two main types of survey instrument to collect TUS data • Stylized questionnaire • 24 hour diary

21. Stylized questionnaires • Specific questions where the respondents need to recall the amount of time spent on the related activities. • May target specific activities or be designed to be as exhaustive as possible so as to capture a complete period of time (24 hours, a week)

22. Stylized questionnaires Pros • Less expensive • Preferable for a specific and short time period Cons • High degree of errors • “Normative editing”: Under or over reporting of socially marked activities (ex: childcare versus watching television) • Memory recall errors • Not measuring simultaneous activities: gender bias

23. 24 hour diary • Writing verbatim descriptions of activities that are coded later on to an activity classification • “Light” diary

24. 24 hour diary Pros • Provide more reliable and accurate data • More flexible and more powerful for data dissemination • Allows to record simultaneous activities Cons • More costly in terms of data collection and data coding • Burden on the respondents (pressure on the participation rates)

25. Stylized questionnaires vs 24 hour diary: conclusions • The statistical community recognizes that the 24 hour diary is the best instrument to collect Time Use data and to avoid biases in activity reporting including gender bias. Many discrepancies affect the distribution of the activities within the household and so between women and men, such as domestic tasks or childcare. • However, the country should be prepared to face the financial and technical requirements to conduct a diary-based survey

26. Simultaneous activities

27. Contextual variables • Definition: “contextual variables” describe the context, the conditions within which an activity takes place • Examples: Location, for whom, use of a computer…. • There are 2 dimensions to consider in terms of “gender awareness” • The nature of the “contextual variable” • Their position in the survey package

28. The nature of the contextual variables • The statistician should select the relevant contextual variable required for the main purposes of the survey. Especially, they should be in line with te classification (see below) • Example: For unpaid work, whether the activity is “paid” , for whom

29. The position of the contextual variables There are 3 locations to collect contextual variables (diary-based survey): • The diary (for each activity) • The household/individual questionnaire (characteristics of the formal work) • Within the classification (“I cook” vs “I cook for my kids”) • The position is strategic because it will determine the scope of the areas that could be covered • Example: Unpaid work and Informal Employment

30. The Classification of Activities • Reflects the most recurrent activities at the country level (through pilot or previous survey) • Detailed enough to identify separately activities mainly undertaken by women or by men • Example: ICATUS • Particularly in line with the SNA • Oriented to measure unpaid work and set up satellite accounts • Trial version since 2005 but finalization in progress (Expert Group Meeting in 2012) Major divisions of ICATUS 2012 (provisional) • SNA work and related activities • Unpaid domestic services for own final use within household • Unpaid caregiving services to household members • Community services and help to other households • Learning • Socializing, community participation and religious practice • Leisure and sports • Self-care and maintenance

31. Conclusion • TUS transversal topic: opportunity to gather statisticians from diverse backgrounds • Gender statisticians should intervene in two main phases of the survey: • Conception phase: • Inform the general public and the administration of the benefits of conducting a TUS (especially because they are costly and need the support of many stakeholders) • Participate in the Task force in charge of elaborating the survey

32. Conclusion • Dissemination/Analysis: Role to advocate for more analysis and provide your expertise (under-exploitation because data very difficult to use, make sure that satellite accounts are attempted) • Further information disclosed the UN “Guide” to producing Statistics on Time Use”

33. Many thanks for your attention and your questions