Press Releases

First "time use" survey findings released

The Health, Welfare and Food Bureau today (August 29) announced the findings of a survey regarding the time use pattern of women and men in Hong Kong and their pattern of participation in society.

The survey looked into the average amount of time spent daily by different people on different activities, and their pattern of participation in various aspects of life such as housework, voluntary work, unpaid work for relatives and friends, cultural, recreational/sports and social activities, etc. Emphasis has been given to the differences displayed between women and men, the importance of contribution made by homemakers, and factors which might have affected their participation in society in analysing the survey data.

The survey, in the form of a thematic household survey, was commissioned by the Census and Statistics Department to a private research company in end 2001, at the request of the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau and on the advice of the Women's Commission, which has given a lot of constructive ideas to the survey.

Speaking at a press conference to release the findings of the survey, Mrs Sophie Leung Lau Yau-fan, Chairperson of the Women's Commission said, "The survey is a ground-breaking exercise as it is the first time when the time use pattern of women and men in Hong Kong are examined.

"We are aware that both women and men have been contributing to the community through their paid and unpaid activities, and that some members of the community, especially women, are experiencing barriers that hinder them from participating fully in the community.

"The survey results enable the Commission and policy makers to understand the situation in greater depth. The rich data set would be useful for analysis in different areas, and could serve as a baseline for similar studies to be conducted in future."

The survey found that on the average, economically active women spent about 7.0 hours a day on paid work. This compared with 7.3 hours for economically active men. As regards unpaid activities, women on the average spent 3.3 hours a day on home caring work, voluntary work and unpaid activities for relatives and friends, being three times more than that for men (1.1 hours).

Women made significantly larger contribution to the caring of family members, relatives and friends. Specifically on homemaking and home caring, the survey found that 84 per cent of women were involved in some housework, including care-giving, cooking, shopping, cleaning, and managing the household (e.g. instructing domestic helpers and other household work such as home repairs and maintenance), compared to 67 per cent for men. About 80 per cent of the people undertaking heavy loads of housework were women.

In terms of average time spent, homemakers spent 6.8 hours a day on care-giving for household members, household work, purchasing goods and services for own household and other voluntary work and unpaid activities, compared to 1.1 hours for men. Women with dual roles also spent 3 hours a day on these chores.

In contrast to the amount of time women devoted to family caring, voluntary work and helping out relatives and friends, women did not have much free time for themselves. Women who performed multiple roles as an employed person, a home carer, and a parent simultaneously had little time remaining for themselves, e.g. they had negligible time for education and training, and were less inclined to engage in other activities, such as cultural or recreational activities.

The survey results confirmed that women were valuable resources of the community. More women than men were engaged in voluntary work (i.e. 63 per cent of all persons aged 15 and over who had carried out voluntary work during the twelve months before the survey were females) and women played a greater role in building social network and social capital within their community.

It was noted that financial well-being was critical in shaping the use of time and participation in society. So was marital status. The survey results also indicated that lack of time was the primary barrier to participation in voluntary work. A vast majority of people suggested that they were too busy to participate in such activities.

The fieldwork of the survey was carried out in end 2001 to early 2002. Over 6,100 households comprising some 16,000 respondents had been successfully enumerated.

Detailed results of the survey are given in the "Thematic Household Survey Report No. 14" published by the Census and Statistics Department. Hardcopy of the report is now available in bilingual form at $66 per copy, which can be purchased in person at the Publications Unit of the Census and Statistics Department, 19/F, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (Tel: 2582 3025). Internet users may purchase the report online at the "Statistical Bookstore, Hong Kong" (http://www.statisticalbookstore.gov.hk) with payment made instantly. A softcopy of the report purchased is available for immediate downloading. The Statistical Bookstore is hosted on the ESD portal (address: http://www.esd.gov.hk) together with other public services.

Enquiries about the results of the survey may be directed to the Social Surveys Section of the Census and Statistics Department (tel: 2887 5103 or e-mail: thematic@censtatd.gov.hk).

End/Friday, August 29, 2003
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