MEASURING UNPAID WORK
IN TANZANIA
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE TIME
USE SURVEY 2006
Presented at the Global Forum on Gender Statistics,
Accra Ghana, 26-28 January 2009
Presentation Outline
 Introduction
 Methodology and coverage
 Findings
 Conclusion
Introduction
 The Time Use Survey (TUS) was carried out in
Tanzania for the first time in 2006. This was a
module attached to the Integrated Labour Force
Survey (ILFS).
 The purpose was to gather data on the extent of
activities and in particular work-related activities
that are carried out by men, women and children
in the course of their daily lives.
 Some of these activities, such as housework and
care for others, are not considered as
employment in the standard definition of the
term.
 However such activities are critical for welfare of
the country’s people and the sustainability of the
labour force required for employment.
Methodology
 The time use questionnaire was administered
for seven consecutive days to each
household member aged 5 years and above.
 The time use diary was provided for each
literate household member. For the illiterate
members an interviewer was visiting them
every morning to complete their diaries
 At least 8 thousand households were covered
with the time use module whereby each diary
covered activities performed within 24 hours
from 7 am to 6 am of the following day
TUS
Finding highlights
 In general all activities that human
beings perform, are categorised
into three categories namely; SNA
production activities, SNA nonproduction activities, and Nonproduction activities.
About 70 percent of people who work in an
upaid work in non productive activities
SNA Category
Number
Percent
SNA Production activities
280,015
15.6
SNA Non-Production activities
265,825
14.8
Non Productive activities
1,250,284
69.6
Total
1,796,124
100.0
SNA unpaid production
activities
 Men;
-
-
Crop farming and market/kitchen
gardening: planting, weeding 32.7%
Travel related to primary production
activities (not for est) 27.1%
Attending animals and fish farming
11.8%
Water collection 6.2%
SNA unpaid production
activities
 Women;
- Crop farming and market/kitchen
-
gardening: planting, weeding 31.7%
Travel related to primary production
activities (not for est) 33.9%
Water collection 16.3%
Collection of firewood 4%
SNA non-production activities
 Overall (Men and Women);
-
-
Cooking, making drinks, setting
tables,
and serving 25.4%
Physical care of children: washing
dressing, feeding 10.5%
Clean up after meal 10.4%
Preparing food (grinding, milling, cutting,
heating water 8.5%
Cleaning house and surroundings 8.3%
Equal participation in nonproductive activities
Chart 1: Participation of men and women in unpaid
Non- productive activities
40.0
Male
20.0
Female
10.0
Activ ity
Watching
television
Games (e.g.
cards,
Participating
in religious
School,
technical
Personal
hygiene and
0.0
Sleep and
related
Percent
30.0
Unpaid activities by education
and sex
Chart 2: Percent of men and women in unpaid work by
education level
80.0
Percent
60.0
Male
40.0
Female
20.0
0.0
Never
attended
Primary
Lower
Upper
Tertiary
education Secondary secondary
noneducation education University
Education level
Tertiary
University
Conclusion
Measuring unpaid work and its contribution to the general wellbeing of individuals and communities is somewhat tricky.
The easiest way to determine the importance of unpaid work
the well-being of people and communities is to compare time
spent between non-productive (unpaid work) activities and
productive activities. The analysis of time spent for these
productive and non-productive activities is unfortunately not
presented here due to technical difficulties in the raw data
provided.
However, some quick findings of the survey that are published
in the ILFS analytical report, show that non-productive
activities consume more time as compared to productive
activities.
It is, therefore, important that when determining what
contributes to the national accounts to give reasonable
weight to some of the activities that are currently left out as
being non-productive.
End!
Asanteni Sana