2022-08-28-世界卫生组织-Time-use_data_can_clarify_crucial_inputs_to_Health_for_All_8页_168kb

Summary of WHO Council Insight on Time-Use Data for Health Economics

Key Theme

The report emphasizes the importance of time-use data as a critical tool for accurately assessing the value and impact of unpaid work in achieving universal health for all. It criticizes the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) metric for overlooking this work, which disproportionately involves women, and proposes time-use data as an alternative metric.

Core Arguments

• Time-use data provides granular insights into paid and unpaid activities, better capturing contributions to health, well-being, and equity than GDP.
• GDP was originally designed for war-related spending and rewards destructive activities, while time-use data focuses on local, human-level realities.
• Unpaid work, such as household chores, caregiving, and community activities, is essential for health but largely ignored in official statistics.

Evidence and Findings

• Globally, women spend significantly more time on unpaid tasks (e.g., 40.6% increase in childcare during COVID-19 in some countries).
• Data from studies in India, the UK, and others show disparities: women work 7-49% more hours than men, and unpaid work in countries like Australia and Moldova accounts for a substantial portion of economic value.
• Market-based time estimates underestimate actual work by failing to account for simultaneous activities, gender pay inequities, and "worry work."

Recommendations and Calls to Action

• Conduct nationwide time-use surveys to integrate with health and environmental outcomes.
• Use time-use data to inform policies on gender equality, child welfare, and healthcare financing.
• Replace GDP-focused metrics with time-use measures to redistribute resources fairly.

Global Relevance

• The WHO Council advocates for universal adoption, citing examples like Uruguay and Albania where time-use data guided successful policies.
• The analysis includes ethical questions about valuing life-supporting work and addresses the need for equity amid global crises like COVID-19.