Fifteen minutes more spare time a day

Dutch people from the age of twelve spend most time – some ten and a quarter hours out of every twenty-four – sleeping and on personal care and hygiene. They have just over six hours leisure time. They spend about three hours caring for others, doing household chores and volunteer work. Paid work accounts for two hours and forty minutes on average.

Time use per 24 hours, 2003

These figures refer to 2003. Compared with 2001 the Dutch spent less time on paid work and had more spare time.

Differences in time use per 24 hours, 2003 versus 2001

Fifteen minutes more spare time on average

Dutch people had fifteen minutes more spare time in 2003 than in 2001. However, they spent less time on paid work. Unemployment rose in this period.

Time use: paid work and spare time by sex

Men work less

Men in particular spent fifteen minutes less on paid work in 2003 than in 2001. Most of the spare time they gained from working less was spent on playing games, do-it-yourself activities, and musical and drama activities.

Women created more free time for themselves – on average about ten minutes per day – by spending less time on housework and caring for others. Their spare time was mainly sent on watching television and contacts with friends and relatives.

Housework

Women still spent a lot of time on household chores in 2003. Shopping, cooking and cleaning cost them two and a half hours a day, compared with only just under one hour for men. Men did do slightly more around the house in 2003 than in 2001 though.

Henk Hendriks