Nature of Time Poverty in Sri Lanka

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.