Analysis of sex, age and socioeconomic differences in time use: evidence from a Latin American country

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study researches the individual effects of sex, age, and socioeconomic status and their simultaneous effect on people's time use in the Latin American context. The study uses data from a large-scale survey carried out in Lima city (Peru) specifically for this study. Findings suggest that time use is not only differentiated by sex but is also differentiated by age and socioeconomic status. The results show that women dedicate fewer hours to Paid Productive Activities than men do for almost all age ranges and socioeconomic levels, except the young women (27 years and younger) in the higher socioeconomic category. The results show that young women who belong to higher socioeconomic categories are currently worse off than their counterparts from previous generations were due to the fact that although they have achieved gender equality in terms of Paid Productive Activities, they still remain the main individuals responsible for Unpaid Productive Activities in their households, and, additionally, they still try to dedicate the same amount of time to Personal Activities as men do. This can have significant consequences for those women’s work-life balance, as they are pressured to perform various activities simultaneously in order to compensate for the workload they face.