SA-TIED seminar on the influence of household composition on leisure time in South Africa

On 06 August the SA-TIED programme will host an online seminar on how household composition influences the leisure time of men and women in South Africa. The presentation will be given by Priyanka Harrichurran, under the SA-TIED project work stream on Turning the tide on inequality.

This presentation is based on the following working paper:

The influence of household composition on leisure time in South Africa: A gender comparison

By Priyanka Harrichurran, Claire Vermaak, and Colette Muller

Presented by Priyanka Harrichurran

Abstract:

This study considers how household composition influences the leisure time of men and women in South Africa, using the South African 2010 Time Use Survey. Studying leisure time is important since the allocation of time outside the market provides insights into market behaviour and physical and mental health. Household composition and leisure consumption are highly gendered, with women typically living in larger households and consuming less leisure than men. Regression analysis shows that leisure time allocations are highly dependent on who lives in the household and Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition analysis finds that gender differences in mean leisure time can be attributed to household members, affecting the leisure time of male and female respondents differently. Overall, the results are consistent with traditional gender roles within the household and highlight the lack of intra-household bargaining power for women, providing evidence of gender inequality. Lower leisure consumption for women may have negative implications for their productivity in terms of paid and unpaid work, and for their well-being.

Download the SA-TIED working paper here.

Register for the seminar here.