Work Rich, Time Poor? Time-Use of Women and Men in Ireland

THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL REVIEW

Table 5: Time-Use in Ireland Compared to Selected European Countries,
Women Aged 20-74 Years: Average Day (Combining Weekend and Weekdays)

Source: Irish National Time-Use Survey for Ireland; Eurostat 2004, Table 1.1 for other
countries.

Note: *Irish estimates of time-use generated using the priorities described above, with
caring and domestic work given priority. Appendix A presents alternative estimates of
time use for Ireland.

**Free time includes active and passive leisure, voluntary and religious activity and
unspecified time use.

lower priority by estimating split times (see Section II for a discussion), the
unpaid work time average falls to 4 hours 41 minutes (see Appendix Table A1).
We argue the best estimate would be somewhere in between this and 5 hours
17 minutes. This still leaves Irish women spending more time on unpaid work
than most other European women considered. National difference in female
(paid) employment rates will also affect the comparisons. Once again the
estimate for total committed time is most accurately somewhere between 8
hours (see Appendix Table A1) and 8 hours 45 minutes, which leaves Irish
women at the upper end of committed time.

On the basis of these estimates it is difficult to say that Irish men and
women are leisure poor. Despite rapidly increasing employment rates, they
still find time for leisure. The estimates of committed time reported by Irish
men are also similar to other European men. However, total committed time
is high for Irish women, compared to other European women. Irish women
compensate for this by less sleep and eating/personal care than other
European women. What is clear is that Irish men do less unpaid work and
more paid work than their European counterparts, while women do more
unpaid work than other European women, which suggests a traditional

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