ILO: Long working hours and care burdens deepen inequalities in Latin America

SANTIAGO (ILO News) – The ILO Office for the Southern Cone presented the technical report “Working time and well-being: contributions of time-use surveys to labour market analysis in Latin America”, which analyzes evidence from seven countries in the region and provides new inputs for the debate on working time, care and well-being.

The study highlights the importance of incorporating information from Time-Use Surveys (TUS) into the debate on working time. Based on the most recent data from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay, it shows how these surveys make it possible to understand not only how much people work, but also how time is distributed among employment, domestic tasks, care, commuting and leisure, according to different demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

“Time is a limited resource and its distribution has direct effects on quality of life. When hours of paid work increase, the time available for rest, care and personal life decreases,” said Sonia Gontero, Wage and Working Time Specialist at the ILO Southern Cone.

Long working hours and lengthy commutes

The report shows that in Latin America, the time devoted to paid work remains high, especially among men. This is compounded by long commuting times in large cities, which further reduce the time available for other activities and affect workers’ physical and emotional well-being.

“In the region, not only do we work long hours, but we also spend long periods commuting. This has impacts on health, productivity and work–life balance. The organization of working time, as well as improvements in public transport services and road infrastructure, are key elements in the debate on decent work,” Gontero noted.

Unequal distribution of unpaid work

One of the main findings of the study is the persistence of gender gaps in time use. Women continue to assume a significantly greater share of unpaid domestic and care work.

“The evidence is clear: even women who work full time devote many more hours to unpaid work, which in turn limits their employment opportunities, the availability of time for training and professional development, and deepens inequalities,” the specialist explained.

Time poverty and well-being

The report also addresses the concept of “time poverty”, that is, the lack of sufficient hours for rest, leisure or self-care due to excessive workloads. Estimates for the region show that this situation affects women and lower-income households more intensely, highlighting the need to coordinate policies on working time organization and care systems in order to redistribute time and reduce inequalities.

In addition, the analysis incorporates information on satisfaction with time use and work–life balance, showing that long working hours reduce perceived well-being. This demonstrates that “the balance between time allocated to different activities is a key determinant of workers’ overall well-being and, therefore, of their performance in the workplace—an aspect of great importance for business competitiveness.”

Evidence for public policies

For the ILO, time-use surveys are a key complement to traditional labour statistics, as they allow both paid and unpaid work, as well as commuting time and personal activities, to be captured within a single measurement.

“Measuring how time is allocated across different activities makes it possible to design policies that integrate multiple areas. If we want to advance in gender equality, productivity and well-being, we need to understand how the working day is organized in people’s real lives,” Gontero concluded.

In a regional context marked by debates on working time, care systems and work–life balance, the report provides technical evidence to strengthen policies aimed at a more balanced distribution of time and the promotion of decent work in Latin America.