Expert Group Meeting: The importance of time-use surveys in guiding social policies

Recognizing the hinderance posed by unpaid work in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, which constitutes target 5.4.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and taking into consideration the detrimental effects of COVID-19 on gender equality and women’s empowerment, ECLAC and UN Women undertook a study to examine changes in time-use by women and men, including for paid and unpaid work in their households, due to the pandemic. This study entitled “The importance of time-use surveys in guiding social policies: COVID-19’s gendered impact on paid and unpaid work in the Caribbean” revealed that women who were already overburdened with unpaid work prior to the pandemic spent more time in unpaid work than men, particularly in caring for children, during the pandemic. Findings of the study support the institutionalization of regular time-use surveys in the subregion to generate data for policy formulation and implementation.

The virtual expert group meeting will bring together statistics and gender experts and international development partners to discuss the findings and recommendations contained in the draft study, including important considerations for implementing time-use surveys by National Statistical Offices of the Caribbean.