Eustat

Press release 08/03/2010

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2010

Since 1993, the average social time that women dedicated to their main job increased, while that spent on domestic chores fell

In 2008, women spent 3 hours and 33 minutes on domestic chores, 2 hours and 4 minutes more than men

According to the results of the fourth Time Allowance Survey conducted by Eustat, the daily distribution of the time dedicated by the population to the different activities observed revealed certain changes that may indicate new trends in the social use of time.

A substantial part of the variations detected in the use of time comes from the increase in paid employment by women. A gradual increase was noted in the average social time of women dedicated to their main job, rising from 1 hour and 15 minutes in 1993 to 2 hours and 9 minutes in 2008. At the same time, a decrease in the time spent on domestic chores was noted, for example on preparing meals, which rose from 1 hour and 43 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes.

The male participation rate in the main professional work in 2008 was 43.5%, while the rate for women was 32.7%, 3.3 percentage points down on 2003 in the first case and 1.9 percentage points up in the case of women.

Total work time is taken to mean paid and unpaid work, that is, the time spent on household work and looking after the people in the household, and the average social time increased slightly over the 15 years in question, rising from 6.09 to 6.15 hours a day. Over the last five years, the time spent working of the working population increased by 12 minutes a day and the number of women in paid work rose.



If in 2003 women worked in paid employment 1 hour and 9 minutes less on average than men, the difference increased to 1 hour and 15 minutes in 2008. Only taking Monday to Thursday into account, the daily work day for men rose from an average of 7 hours and 4 minutes for men in 2003 to 7 hours and 58 minutes in 2008, which meant an increase of 54 minutes. Women only registered an increase of 5 minutes over those days, and the time spent work rose from 6 hours and 31 minutes in 2003 to 6 hours and 36 minutes in 2008.

From the gender perspective, certain differences were noted in some of the activities related to the total work. When calculating the percentages with respect to the average for men and women, in 2008, activities that are classified as clearly male one included repairs, as while women who stated that they did them dedicated 90% of the average time, the men in question spent 140% of the time; and administrative formalities, as women who carried them out accounted for 7% of the average time and men 125%.

Compared to 1993, certain differences were noted with respect to the gender impact as, while repairs were the only activities classified as male 15 years ago, carrying out administrative formalities became a clear male activity by 2008.

Likewise, clearly female activities in 2008 included preparing meals (136% of the average time spent on this activity was by women compared to 57% by men), looking after clothes (110% compared to 57%), cleaning (108% compared to 75%) and looking after children (117% compared to 77%). However, there were no great differences in others, such as non-regulated training, shopping or looking after adults.

Over the 15 years in question, the same activities were maintained, relating to total work, associated with women, that is to say, the same gender pattern, even though there was a notable reduction in the gender gap in the activities associated with cleaning domestic chores.

In 2008, women spent 3 hours and 33 minutes on domestic chores

92.3% of the population carried out domestic chores in 2008, 13.7 percentage points more than five years earlier, but they spent 26 minutes less on average than in 2003. On the other hand, there were hardly any changes to the difference in time spent on these tasks by men and women. In 2008, women spent 3 hours and 33 minutes on domestic chores, 2 hours and 4 minutes more than men, while the difference was 2 hours and 6 minutes more in 2003.

On the other hand, 22.8% of people aged 16 and over (3 percentage points higher than in 2003) spent a daily average of 2 hours and 3 minutes to looking after people in the household, either children or elderly relatives. There was an increase of 17 minutes per participant in relation to 2003. Men spent 1 hour and 41 minutes and women 2 hours and 18 minutes on this activity.

The time spent looking after children was up by 21 minutes to 1 hour and 43 minutes. Contrary in 2003, time spent looking after adults increased by 26 minutes in 2008, which meant that 2 hours and 9 minutes were spent on this activity.

The Time Allowance Survey is conducted every five years and had already been carried out three times in the past: 1993, 1998 and 2003, with the latest figures referring to 2008. Statistics calculates the daily time spent by the population residing in the Basque Country on activities according to their distribution.



For further information:

Basque Statistics Office
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Tlf:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es
Contact: Manu Riveiros
Tel:+34-945-01 75 06 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01
Online press releases: www.eustat.es