Children’s time use in developing countries: Comparative evidence from Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam

Abstract

Children’s time use is an important factor affecting human capital outcomes such as educational attainment and future employment. Thus far, little attention has been paid to how children’s time use varies across and within middle- and low-income countries compared to more economically-advanced countries. In this article, we use comparative survey data to examine children’s time use in four countries with varying degrees of development in the Asian region—the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. We selected children’s time use as the key outcome and, based on previous literature, we hypothesize that child age and gender, and household characteristics influence the organization of children’s daily lives, in particular how they allocate their time between leisure, study (outside school), housework, and work that supplements family income. Using a series of OLS regression models, we find evidence of gendered time allocation, with girls generally more likely to perform housework and devote less time to leisure, while boys generally spend more time working to support the household and more time in leisure. Some of the gendered differences are attenuated within households with higher maternal education. The detailed results suggest nuanced processes differentiating the country samples, and we discuss both their theoretical and practical implications.