Collecting data on Care-giving and Unpaid work

Heather Dryburgh

Statistics Canada

Outline

• Context – Unpaid work module

• Measuring childcare

• Measuring care of seniors

• Measuring unpaid housework

Context

• Why is measuring unpaid work important?

• Household production Satellite account for System of National Accounts

• Recommendations for 2010 round of Censuses

Unpaid service

• Unpaid service refers to the contribution of labour to that part of economic activity that is outside the production boundary defined for the System of National Accounts.

• It includes the non-market activity of households, such as looking after children without pay, doing laundry, yard work, helping a senior with taking medication, washing the car or shopping. It refers to such activity performed during a specified reference period.

Unpaid work

• Good to distinguish between: – Unpaid work for household members– Unpaid work for members of other households– Unpaid volunteer work for an organization

Using Time Use data

Example: Valuation of unpaid work (SNA)

• Time use data

• Calculate time spent in unpaid work

• Apply a market occupational value to that time to estimate value of unpaid work– Canada, 1998: Equivalent to 1/3 of GDP

Unpaid work module

• Six questions

• Childcare– Inside household, outside household

• Housework– Inside household, outside household

• Senior care– Inside household, outside household

Types of unpaid care

• Unpaid child care

• Unpaid care or assistance to seniors

• (Unpaid care to other adults - not currently collected in the Canadian General Social Survey or Census)

Comparing sources on childcare

Time diary• 24 hour diary• Active childcare • Passive childcare if

secondary activity collected

Unpaid work module• 2 questions• Active and passive

childcare grouped together• Care to children in the

household• Care to children living

outside the household

Unpaid care provided

• Unpaid care provided refers to all incidents in which a person provided unpaid service to assist or care for children, seniors or other adults both within and outside his or her household.

• It excludes volunteer service through an organization.

Comparability with United Nations recommendations (2010 round of Censuses)

Statistics Canada United Nations

Unpaid Household Activities Unpaid Services

Unpaid Housework Persons who provide social and

Unpaid Work – Looking After Children personal services to their own

Unpaid Work – Care or Assistance to Seniors household or other households.

Care for Children living in the Household

The next few questions refer to unpaid work activities last week.

(Last week), how many hours did you spend looking after :…one or more of the children in your household, without pay?

INTERVIEWER: Include:- time when the respondent was doing another activity while lookingafter the children;- time when looking after the children was shared with someoneelse;- time when the child was having a nap.Exclude:- time the child spent sleeping during the night;- time the child spent at school, at a friend's or in organizedactivities.

Answer categories: Options

A) Fractions should be reported as follows:

1/2 hour = .51/4 hour = .253/4 hour = .75

(0.00..168.00)DK, RF

B) Was it…

1 None? 2 Less than 5 hours? 3 5 to 14 hours? 4 15 to 29 hours? 5 30 to 59 hours? 6 60 hours or more? DK, RF

Care for Children living outside of the Household

The next few questions refer to unpaid work activities last week.

(Last week), how many hours did you spend looking after :…one or more children outside of your household, without pay?

INTERVIEWER: Include:- time when the respondent was doing another activity while lookingafter the children;- time when looking after the children was shared with someoneelse;- time when the child was having a nap.Exclude:- time the child spent sleeping during the night;- time the child spent at school, at a friend's or in organizedactivities.

Childcare estimates

Time DiaryActive childcare by

participants:Men: 12.6 hours/weekWomen: 18.9 hours/week

Unpaid Work ModuleCare of children in HH by

participants:Men: 22.8 hours/weekWomen: 48.7 hours/week

Care of children out of HH by participants:

Men: 1.7 hours/weekWomen: 3.5 hours/week

Total childcareMen: 24.5 hours/weekWomen: 52.2 hours/week

Unpaid care to seniors

• Two main sources of information– Detailed survey on care-giving, focus on

providing care to seniors– Unpaid work module questions

Comparison of two sources

Caregiving survey• Full detailed

questionnaire (approx 50 minute interview)

• Sample aged 45+• Care to all ages (can

select by age)• Focus on care to

people with long-term health condition

Unpaid work module• 2 questions• Sample all ages• Care to seniors aged

65+• “Care or assistance”• Outside HH - Do not

know whether there was a senior who needed their help

Detailed care of seniors information

• Time spent providing senior care

• Characteristics of care provider and receiver

• Relationship to care receiver

• Type of care provided

• Impacts of providing senior care

• Unmet care needs of seniors

Unpaid Care or Assistance to Seniors within the Household

(Last week), how many hours did you spend providing:

…unpaid care or assistance to one or more seniors who live in your household?

Same possible answer categories (two options) as child care questions

– Open-ended (0-95), or– Grouped categories

Unpaid Care or Assistance to Seniors outside the Household

(Last week), how many hours did you spend providing:

…unpaid care or assistance to one or more seniors who live outside of your household?

Same possible answer categories (two options) as child care questions

– Open-ended (0-95), or– Grouped categories

Care to seniors

Unpaid Work ModuleCare of seniors in HH by participants:Men: 2.8 hours/weekWomen: 4.1 hours/week

Care of seniors out of HH by participants:Men: 0.5 hours/weekWomen: 0.9 hours/week

Total senior careMen: 3.3 hours/weekWomen: 5.0 hours/week

Data on housework

• Time diary data

• Unpaid work module

Unpaid housework

• Unpaid housework refers to all incidents in which the person provided unpaid service such as domestic work, yard work or home maintenance for members of his or her household, for other family members outside the household or for friends or neighbours.

• It refers to such activity performed during a specified reference period.

• It excludes volunteer service for an organization.

Unpaid housework

• Examples:– preparing meals and associated cleanup, – washing the car, – doing laundry, – ironing, folding and mending, – gardening and cutting the grass, – shopping and household planning as well as

associated travel.

Comparison of two sources

Time use survey• 24 hour diary required• Detailed breakdown of

types of housework.• Possible to specify what

is included in definition of housework

• Respondent burden for diary

Unpaid work module• 2 questions• Housework, yard work,

home maintenance grouped together under ‘housework’

• Respondent burden relatively ow for these questions

Unpaid housework within the household

(Last week), how many hours did you spend doing:

…unpaid housework, yard work or home maintenance for your household?

Same possible answer categories (two options) as child care questions

– Open-ended (0-95), or– Grouped categories

Unpaid housework outside the household

(Last week), how many hours did you spend doing:…unpaid housework, yard work or home maintenance for persons who live outside your household?

Same possible answer categories (two options) as child care questions

– Open-ended (0-95), or– Grouped categories

Housework

Housework in HH by participants:Men: 7.9 hours/weekWomen: 13.4 hours/week

Housework out of HH by participants:Men: 0.8 hours/weekWomen: 0.7 hours/week

Total houseworkMen: 8.7 hours/weekWomen: 14.1 hours/week

Conclusions

• The contribution of unpaid work to the economy and well-being of the country

• Measuring unpaid work

• Multiple sources, multiple uses of information