Chapter 11 Unpaid work

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The topic of unpaid work¹ yielded 72 comments. Introduced in 1996, the three-part question asks people 15 years and older how much time they spend doing household tasks, caring for children and assisting seniors without pay. The majority of the feedback received on unpaid work concerned the need for and use of household activities data or the suitability of the census as the collection vehicle for this information. As was witnessed during 2006 Census content consultations, participants were divided over whether to retain the question on the census.

Unpaid work content • Approximately 30% of the 54 comments received on the importance of unpaid work content stressed the need for unpaid work data collected on the census. Participants reported the data are used to analyse gender equity, understand economic divisions, measure the volume of volunteer work and develop policies. The increasing importance of information on unpaid care to seniors for planning and program delivery was also emphasized in a number of the submissions. A few users stated the question should not be removed or cautioned against it.

Probing revealed that unpaid work data are used at varying levels of geographical detail. A small number of organizations specified they require household activities information for lower geographic levels to support research and projects. However, for some participants the availability of data at higher levels of geography sufficed. Some thought the national and provincial geographical levels were of most interest to users.

At the same time, approximately 30% of the 54 comments indicated the question on unpaid work could be removed or that the content is better covered by a different survey. Arguments in favour of eliminating the question include the following: the household activities categories are too broad and don't provide sufficient context, the question would need to be improved to make the results meaningful—especially as it relates to the time references, and, there are alternative data sources. 

According to some of these users, surveys such as the General Social Survey and the Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating are better suited because they collect more detailed data on household activities and volunteering. On the other hand, a few participants considered the data available from sources other than the census inadequate because of their limited sample size and geographic coverage.   

In several instances, participants expressed uncertainty over the degree to which their organizations made use of the data—if at all. Some indicated they seldom use unpaid work data. Others felt that unpaid care to seniors could become more useful given Canada's demographic profile.

Other comments on the unpaid work content include the following:

• capture information on the number of persons assisting individuals with illness or disability according to different age categories (e.g., children, working-age adult, seniors)
• obtain more detail on the care or services provided to seniors by hours per week and by type of activities (e.g., help with housework, administration of personal finances, etc.)  
• ask this question on a decennial basis (i.e., every 10 years) if removed from the 2011 Census
• add more questions on volunteering so it is recognized and counted as unpaid work.

Follow-up

The decision to include new questions and modify or eliminate existing census content takes into account a number of factors, such as consultation feedback, support to legislation, program and policy needs, data quality, costs, historical comparability, respondent burden, privacy, operational considerations and alternative data sources.

The unpaid work questions underwent further testing in May 2008. However, given the demand to collect information on other subject areas and the availability of alternative data sources, careful consideration is being given to excluding household activities from the 2011 Census questionnaire.

Note: Question 33 on the 2006 Census questionnaire (see Appendix 3) relates to household activities

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Note

1. During most in-person consultations, participants were asked about the use and importance of unpaid work data.