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Men spent more time in leisure activities than did women in 2013

June 20, 2014

On an average day in 2013, nearly everyone age 15 and over (95 percent) engaged in some sort of leisure activity, such as watching TV, socializing, or exercising. Of those who engaged in leisure activities, men spent more time in these activities (5.9 hours) than did women (5.2 hours). Men were more likely than women to participate in sports, exercise, or recreation on any given day—21 percent compared with 16 percent. On the days that they participated, men also spent more time in these activities than did women—1.9 hours compared with 1.3 hours.

Time spent in primary activities, average hours per day for persons who engaged in the activity, 2013
ActivityTotalMenWomen

Personal care activities

9.559.319.76

Eating and drinking

1.271.311.24

Household activities

2.392.062.63

Purchasing goods and services

1.741.621.83

Caring for and helping household members

2.071.752.28

Caring for and helping nonhousehold members

1.681.691.68

Working and work-related activities

8.018.457.46

Educational activities

5.986.255.74

Organizational, civic, and religious activities

2.312.522.17

Leisure and sports

5.525.895.17

Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail

0.720.640.77

Other activities, not elsewhere classified

1.771.771.78

On an average day, 83 percent of women and 65 percent of men spent some time doing household activities such as housework, cooking, lawn care, or financial and other household management. On the days they did household activities, women spent an average of 2.6 hours on such activities, while men spent 2.1 hours.

Women spent more time on personal care activities, 9.8 hours per day compared with 9.3 hours for men, on an average day in 2013. Personal care activities also include sleeping, which accounts for the majority of time spent on personal care. 

Among those who engaged in work and work-related activities, men spent 8.5 hours per day, compared with women, who spent 7.5 hours.

On an average day, 30 percent of women and 21 percent men spent time caring for and helping household members. On the days they cared for and helped household members, women spent an average of 2.3 hours on this activity, while men spent 1.8 hours.

These data are from the American Time Use Survey. For more information, see "American Time Use Survey — 2013 Results" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL‑14‑1137. Note that these averages include all persons in the civilian population age 15 and over who engaged in a given activity.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Men spent more time in leisure activities than did women in 2013 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20140620.htm (visited March 28, 2024).

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