About one in three Australians are grappling with being time-poor, with the majority working unpaid hours, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The findings reveal a significant gender disparity, as more than 36 percent of women report always feeling rushed or pressed for time, compared to about 30 percent of men.
The most common reason cited for this time pressure is the challenge of balancing work and family responsibilities. This revelation comes as the bureau releases its key insights on how Australians spent their time in 2024, categorizing activities into personal care, employment and education, unpaid work, and free time.
Unpaid Work and Gender Disparities
The survey highlights that while most Australians engage in unpaid work, fewer do so on days they perform paid work. Notably, women on average work about an hour more each day and enjoy an hour less of free time compared to men. Mothers, in particular, spend approximately an hour longer caring for children than fathers.
Single parents with children under 15 also face significant demands, dedicating nearly an hour more to unpaid work than couples. Rowena Ditzell, a specialist in the future of work at the University of Technology Sydney, notes, “Women are continuing to spend a greater amount of time doing unpaid labour.”
Leisure Time Activities
Despite the pressures of unpaid work, over 90 percent of those surveyed engage in leisure activities during their free time. Men, however, spend slightly more time on leisure than women. Parents, on the other hand, spend nearly three hours less on leisure activities than individuals without children.
The most popular leisure activity is watching TV or streaming, with about 62 percent of people dedicating almost three hours a day to this pastime. Socializing in person is also common, with 55 percent participating, though a quarter of men and nearly a third of women engage in this activity.
Additionally, nearly half of the respondents spend their free time browsing online, checking emails, and using social media.
Impact of Remote Work
The shift to remote work has altered the landscape of unpaid and paid work hours. People working from home complete an average of 7 hours and 8 minutes of paid work daily, compared to 8 hours and 18 minutes for those commuting to a workplace. However, remote workers engage in more unpaid work, averaging 3 hours and 24 minutes, compared to less than two and a half hours for office workers.
On days when women work from home, they work about an hour longer on average than men. Despite the increased unpaid workload, remote workers benefit from more leisure time opportunities than their on-site counterparts.
“What we see quite typically is that that time is usually reinvested either to doing additional paid work or for that extra unpaid work,” said Dr. Ditzell. “But we do know that that time that is not being spent on commuting is often reinvested back into paid or often unpaid work as well.”
Looking Ahead
The findings underscore the ongoing challenges of balancing work and personal life, particularly for women. As remote work becomes more prevalent, the dynamics of unpaid work may continue to shift, potentially offering more flexibility but also increasing expectations for unpaid labor.
These insights call for a closer examination of workplace policies and societal norms to address the gender disparities in unpaid work and to ensure a more equitable distribution of time and responsibilities.
