A Systematic Testing and Comparative Assessment of Three Time Use Methods: Evidence from Four Sub-Saharan Countries

Abstract

In sub-Saharan Africa, women are burdened with gendered tasks of cooking and fuel gathering, leading to time poverty, gender inequality, unhappiness, physical health issues due to unclean cooking methods, and broader social implications including employment limitations and adverse effects on household food security. This scenario underscores an urgent need to scrutinize and reveal the existing patterns of time use, especially for women. By applying pairwise correlation and ordinary least squares regression analyses, this study assesses the consistency across three distinct time use methods and delves into potential causes for any observed discrepancies especially for time use on fuel preparation and acquisition, as well as cooking. Data sourced from primary cooks across four Sub-Saharan African countries indicate that: (a) there is significant difference in time use that is recorded across time use methods; and (b) individual and household characteristics, and specific behaviours related to cooking and fuel activities, partially account for the observed time gaps in both cooking activities and fuel preparation and collection. This research contributes to the field by: 1) highlighting the challenges in achieving consistent time measurements, underscoring the variations that different methods can produce; and 2) providing insights on the influence of individual and household factors, as well as cooking and fuel-related behaviours, on the perception and reporting of time use. These findings suggest directions for developing more reliable and valid methods for time use research, especially for interventions aimed at reducing the burden of uncompensated work on women in sub-Saharan Africa.