session 16: gender and multi-tasking - un escap 16: gender and multi-tasking prof. maria s. floro...

Session 16: Gender and Multi-tasking

Prof. Maria S. Floro

Session 6: Multi tasking_ Floro 1

Outline

• Focus and Terminology

• Why Collect Info on Multi-tasking?

• Methodological Issues

• Effect on Efficiency and on Well-being

• Studies on Multi-tasking: Some Examples


Focus: Multi-tasking

• Important dimension of time use

• Manner in which people function, particularly the way they spend their time and perform their work.

• Increasing social phenomenon in modern societies due to ease of access to media and communications technology.

• Time pressure as more women take on dual roles as income earners and household/care providers.


Terminology:

Performing more than one activity at the same time. • Multi-tasking/Overlapping activities • Simultaneous activities/Concurrent activities • Polychronicity (vs monochronicity)

Performing more than one task/work activity at the

same time. • Time Intensity/Work Intensity

Chronic multi-tasking (of unpaid and paid work). • Double Day, Double Burden


Conceptual Issues

• Are these activities being done simultaneously or sequentially?

• How can we characterize multi-tasking/work intensity in order to understand better its nature?

• Is it a matter of preference or is it a matter of necessity?

• Does it increase productivity and what is the implication on our standard notion of efficiency?

• What are the circumstances under which multi-tasking can increase or decrease stress and well-being?


Evidence from Literature

• Anthropological and sociological studies directly and indirectly acknowledge multi-tasking in developed and developing countries.

• Studies on informal sector particularly women workers.

• Time use studies especially with respect to childcare, and also leisure.

• Consumer research and marketing studies show polychronic use of time by women.


Relevance of Multi-tasking or Work Intensity

• Better measure of actual time spent in activities.

• Effect on efficiency and productivity.

• Effect on quality of life and well-being--- time pressure or time squeeze.

• Important coping strategy especially during economic downturns and recessions.

• Nontangible cost dimension of poverty and weak social policies.


Some Consequences

• Distracted Attention

• Increased stress and deterioration of health

• Reduced Functionality

For many women: ‘income poor’ and ‘time poor’


Multi-tasking and Time Use

• Collection of secondary, tertiary or ‘other’ activities depend on TUS design.

• Respondents instructed to record main and other activities undertaken during the same period, where they were and who was with them.

• What was your main activity? What else were you doing at the same time.

• Can be simultaneous or sequential (for longer time slots e.g. 30 minutes.)


10

AloneChildren

age 0-9

Other hh

memberOthers

07.00-0.710Woke up the children x home

07.10-07.20Had breakfast Talked with my family x x

07.20-07.30..".. ..".. x x

07.30-07.40Cleared the table Listened to the radio x

07.40-07.50Helped the children dressing Talked with my children x

07.50-08.00Went to the day care centre, by foot ..".. x travel-on foot

08.00-08.10By bus to job Read the newspaper x travel-by bus

08.10-08.20By bus to job ..".. x

08.20-08.30Regular work x working place

08.30-08.40 x

08.40-08.50 x

08.50-09.00 x

09.00-09.10 x

09.10-09.20 x

09.20-09.30 x

09.30-09.40 x

09.40-09.50 x

09.50-10.00 x

10.00-10.10Break: had coffee Talked with a colleague x


LocationTime

Persons present

Main activity Secondary activity

24-hour Diary with Fixed Time Intervals

Simultaneous Activities Session 6: Multi tasking_ Floro

11

AloneChildren

age 0-9

Other hh

memberOthers

07.00-0.710Woke up the children x home

07.10-07.20Had breakfast Talked with my family x x

07.20-07.30..".. ..".. x x

07.30-07.40Cleared the table Listened to the radio x

07.40-07.50Helped the children dressing Talked with my children x

07.50-08.00Went to the day care centre, by foot ..".. x travel-on foot

08.00-08.10By bus to job Read the newspaper x travel-by bus

08.10-08.20By bus to job ..".. x


08.30-08.40 x

08.40-08.50 x

08.50-09.00 x

09.00-09.10 x

09.10-09.20 x

09.20-09.30 x

09.30-09.40 x

09.40-09.50 x

09.50-10.00 x

10.00-10.10Break: had coffee Talked with a colleague x


LocationTime

Persons present

Main activity Secondary activity

Elements of Time Use Data

Contextual Information

Session 6: Multi tasking_ Floro

Diversity of overlapping activities

• Multiple combinations

• Some can be pleasant and enjoyable.

• Others can be demanding and lead to intensification of work; lack of discretionary leisure time


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Typology and Classification of Activities

Primary vs Secondary

Which is the main or primary activity?

Active vs. Passive

Pleasant vs Unpleasant

Which pairs of activities to focus on?

Choice of Classification is related to the purpose or objectives of your study.


Measuring time spent in multi-tasking

Use of weights: • Additive : e.g. 1 hour of cleaning (main) + 1 hour of childcare (second) > 1440 min • Deflated: e.g. 1 hour of cleaning + (.5) 1hr of

childcare > 1440 minutes

• 24-hr constraint: e.g. .5 hr of cleaning + .5 hr childcare = 1440 minutes

Use of matrix table: • primary x secondary= 1440 minutes

Method would depend on the focus and objective of study


15

Sampling Issue

Use of specialised samples e.g. home-based workers, caregivers, students, drivers, etc.

Comparison using categories: Sex Geographic areas (urban/rural) Age group Employment status Poverty status Household head Household structure Access to services/programs/govt transfers.


Effect on Efficiency and Quality of Output

• Dependent on the compatibility of the performed activities.

• Increased efficiency if minimum overlaps in simultaneous calls for attention, use of mental faculties, or physical exertion.


Effect on Well-being

• Depends on the nature of activities combined i.e. amount of physical energy and level of concentration.

• Too many switches and/or many overlaps in the use of same resources lead to stress, fatigue and reduced functionality.

• Length of time spent in multi-tasking.


Example:South Africa Time Use Survey

Classification of Selected activities

• Labor market work: wage, home-based work, self employed and primary production (SNA production activities*)

• Household work: domestic chores, fuel and water gathering*, care work and shopping (mainly non-SNA production activities)

• Social and cultural activities: cultural, political, social activities, socializing with non-family members


2000 South Africa Time Use Survey Data: Mean Time Spent

(minutes per day)

Women N=5408

Men N=5057

Primary activities

Primary and Secondary activities

Primary activities

Primary and Secondary activities

Labor Market work

161.8 173.4 294.5 310.4

Household 249.5 299.3 95.7 116.9

Social, Political, Religious Activities

81.9 122.3

111.9 179.1


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• 359 individuals (head & spouses)

• Part of a household survey among urban squatter households

which has a time allocation module

• Simplified time use diary + recall method

• Circle of trust approach

Example 2: Bangkok Home-Based Worker Survey 2002


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Time Allocation of Male and Female Thai Homebased Workers


Example 3: Australian Time Use Survey Data

• 1992 Australian National Time Use Survey – 1st National level time use survey in Australia

• Sub sample of 3,966 adult respondents – Total sample covered ~3,000 households

• All members of household over 15 years old

– Sub sample: only male/female couples (married or de facto)

• Time use captured by interviews & journals – 2 randomly selected days (all days of week weighted evenly) – Primary + secondary, tertiary activities – Journals known to be accurate

• Except: phone conversations, home improvement projects


Time Use Patterns when Overlapped Activities are included.


Primary work activity, mean hrs/day

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Labour marketwork

HH work:domestic

HH work:childcare

HH work:shopping

Voluntary work Total work

Women

Men


Primary + overlapped work activity

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Labour marketwork

HH work:domestic

HH work:childcare

HH work:shopping

Voluntary work Total work

Women

Men


Economic Model

• Decision on the amount of overlapped work activity performed by a person.

• Individual and household characteristics may influence decision. Overlapping activity only manifests when benefit > cost:

*

ij ij j ijOL X Z

* * 0

0

ij ijOL if OLOL

otherwise


Tobit model • Baseline regressors:

– Gender, Ln( age ), Income and education categories

– # of children 1-4; # of children 5-14

– Cultural factors (other language spoken)

• Additional regressors:

– Work at home; multiple jobs; full time vs part time employment

– Disabled/sick child * [ 1 2 1 ... 7 ]

[ 14 14 ]

1 2 3

ij ij ij ij ij ij ij

j j j

ij j ij ij ij ij ij

OL Sex Age Educ Educ Winc Winc

Nchild Nkids Otlan

WrkHom KidHlth MulJob EmpSt EmpSt EmpSt


Regression findings


Study findings

• Higher incidence of overlapped work activity is associated with: – Having children, esp young children; sick/disabled – Education past high school, esp university – Work-at-home, multiple jobs – Gender, even when controlling for individual income

• Lower incidence of overlapped work activity associated with – Higher individual income (past some threshold) – Age – Non English speaking


Thank you.


session 16: gender and multi-tasking - un escap 16: gender and multi-tasking prof. maria s. floro...

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