Nature of Time Poverty in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Poverty as a concept encompasses multiple dimensions, yet, for decades, has been measured based on tangible wealth or the level of income. It brings into question the effectiveness of using only an income-based indicator to measure such a complex phenomenon.This paper attempts to analyse poverty through a novel lens known as time poverty. Conceptually, time poverty is defined as the lack of time for leisure due to time spent on employment and domestic activities. This is directly linked to welfare as it affects the health and productivity of individuals. Employing the first Time-Use Survey conducted in Sri Lanka in 2017, this study aims to measure time poverty based on the time allocated for labour and non-labour market activities. Based on the findings, insights relating to the gendered nature of time poverty, socio-demographic patterns and occupational influences can be inferred. The incidence of time poverty was approximately 40 per cent, with a significant portion of the employed men and women in the urban area being subject to time poverty. At the higher threshold of time poverty, women were more time-poor than their male counterparts across urban, rural and estate sectors. When considering both sex and sector, women in the urban sample were the most time-poor. Thus, a gendered pattern can be identified through these results, necessitating policy attention.

The Association between Time Poverty and Income Poverty: The Case of Sri Lanka

“…The threshold is estimated as 1.5 times the median time spent in SNA and non-SNA activities by all adults aged 15 years and above. 8 Based on this methodology, the time poverty line for Sri Lanka, as computed by Ranatunga and Dunusinghe (2021), is nine hours per day for an individual.…”

“…Nonetheless, estimates exist at the national level for most of the developed countries and several developing countries. Accordingly, with the recent availability of time use data in Sri Lanka, Ranatunga and Dunusinghe (2021) has estimated around 40 per cent of people in Sri Lanka to be time poor, revealing that a sizable number of individuals overwork by sacrificing their leisure time which is ideally meant to be spent on personal care. This situation of sacrificing self-care and leisure time in order to earn more income, is an indication of the possible close connection or association between time poverty and income poverty.…”

Assessing Multidimensional Poverty Index in Coastal Regions: Implications for the Makran Region of Iran

“…To further probe and support child poverty policies, DCS crafted an individual Child MPI for children aged 0-4, which includes exactly the same indicators as the National MPI, plus undernutrition and early childhood development. Sri Lanka's Child MPI is pioneering in being the first official measure of child poverty that links directly and precisely with the National MPI (Sri Lanka DCS, 2021).…”