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Measuring time use in rural India: Design and validation of a low-cost survey module

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  • Field, Erica
  • Pande, Rohini
  • Rigol, Natalia
  • Schaner, Simone
  • Stacy, Elena
  • Moore, Charity Troyer

Abstract

Time use data facilitate understanding of labor supply, especially for women who often undertake unpaid care and home production. Although assisted diary-based time use surveys are suitable for low-literacy populations, they are costly and rarely used. We create a low-cost, scalable alternative that captures contextually-determined broad time categories; here, allocations across market work, household labor, and leisure. Using fewer categories and larger time intervals takes 33% less time than traditional modules. Field experiments show the module measures average time across the broader categories as well as the traditional approach, particularly for our target female population. The module can also capture multitasking for a specific category of interest. Its shortcomings are short duration activity capture and the need for careful category selection. The module’s brevity and low cost make it a viable method to use in household and labor force surveys, facilitating tracking of work and leisure patterns as economies develop.

Suggested Citation

  • Field, Erica & Pande, Rohini & Rigol, Natalia & Schaner, Simone & Stacy, Elena & Moore, Charity Troyer, 2023. "Measuring time use in rural India: Design and validation of a low-cost survey module," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:164:y:2023:i:c:s0304387823000603
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2023.103105
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Joseph Cook & Jane Kabubo-Mariara & Peter Kimuyu, 2022. "Happy at Work in Africa? Measuring Hedonic Well-Being Among Water Carriers in Rural Kenya Using the Experience Sampling Method," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 2449-2468, August.
    2. Indira Hirway, 2010. "Time-Use Surveys in Developing Countries: An Assessment," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Rania Antonopoulos & Indira Hirway (ed.), Unpaid Work and the Economy, chapter 11, pages 252-324, Palgrave Macmillan.
    3. Greg Seymour & Hazel Malapit & Agnes Quisumbing, 2020. "Measuring Time Use in Developing Country Agriculture: Evidence from Bangladesh and Uganda," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(3), pages 169-199, July.
    4. Ivana Anusic & Richard E. Lucas & M. Brent Donnellan, 2017. "The Validity of the Day Reconstruction Method in the German Socio-economic Panel Study," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 213-232, January.
    5. Yuta Masuda & Lea Fortmann & Mary Gugerty & Marla Smith-Nilson & Joseph Cook, 2014. "Pictorial Approaches for Measuring Time Use in Rural Ethiopia," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 115(1), pages 467-482, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Anna Josephson & Jeffrey D. Michler & Talip Kilic & Siobhan Murray, 2024. "The Mismeasure of Weather: Using Remotely Sensed Earth Observation Data in Economic Context," Papers 2409.07506, arXiv.org.
    2. Beegle, Kathleen & Dillon, Andrew & Karlan, Dean & Udry, Christopher, 2024. "Introduction to the journal of development economics special issue on methods and measurement," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    3. Alison Andrew & Andrea Smurra, 2024. "Seclusion and women's time: Descriptive evidence from India," IFS Working Papers W24/39, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    4. Jafarov, Jafar & Singh, Tejendra P. & Sahoo, Soham, 2023. "Air Pollution and Time Use: Evidence from India," IZA Discussion Papers 16552, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Time use; Labor supply; Gender; Field experiment; Measurement; Validation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C81 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Microeconomic Data; Data Access
    • C83 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Survey Methods; Sampling Methods
    • C90 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - General
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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