Time Poverty Mostly Affects Women in Colombia and Six Other Countries

A recent UN Women report has revealed that women in seven Latin American countries, including Colombia, consistently allocate more time to unpaid domestic and care work compared to men. This disparity in time allocation is a result of systemic gender and socioeconomic inequalities, which are rooted in a variety of factors such as the individual's demographic, socio-economic status, and caregiving responsibilities.

The report, titled "Indicators of Inequality in Time Use in Latin America and the Caribbean," analyzes time use in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay, highlighting that time poverty affects a substantial portion of the population in these nations. Time poverty refers to the inability of individuals to access and manage their 24-hour day as they see fit, and it can significantly impact one's overall well-being and access to opportunities.

The report identifies four dimensions of time use: paid work, unpaid domestic and care work, restorative sleep, and leisure. Within these dimensions, gender inequality in time use is prevalent, with women spending more time on unpaid domestic and care work than men in six out of the seven countries surveyed. For instance, in Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay, women spend between two hours and twelve minutes and three hours and five minutes more per day on unpaid work than men.

Additionally, time poverty is a widespread issue, affecting more than one in four people across the seven countries. In Argentina, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay, women are more likely to experience time poverty than men. For example, in Chile, 37.4% of women compared to 31.6% of men experience time poverty, while in Mexico, 37.8% of women compared to 33.9% of men face the same issue.

The findings indicate that time poverty is not merely a personal problem but a systemic issue that perpetuates gender and socioeconomic inequalities across multiple dimensions of daily life.