The present and future of time-use analysis in developing countries

The findings of this paper show that time-use data can deepen our understanding of human behaviour, such as how women, men and children across socioeconomic strata conduct their daily lives and make choices. Based on a review of existing research it shows that time-use information reveals a much wider range of economic contributions from women, men and children than conventional measures of economic activities, and yields more comprehensive estimates of aggregate production. In addition, household production and caregiving contribute to all aspects of the well-being of household members and yet typically remain unmeasured. Time-use data and analyses uncover the commonly hidden time dimensions of income poverty by exposing the time pressure faced by household members. The effectiveness of various development policies and investments will be a major concern in the coming years as countries and development agencies work towards the 17 SDGs. This review of time-use research shows that any assessment of that effectiveness can be enriched by documenting and analyzing how those policies and programmes lead to shifts in people’s time allocation. Cost-effectiveness measures of programmes and investments are incomplete when they ignore the required time inputs of users. There have been major improvements in conceptualizing, collecting and analyzing time-use information. Many countries are now collecting time-use data, but many more improvements are needed to address the practical difficulties that face developing countries in implementing data collection instruments.