Canadians, especially women, are feeling pressed for time

The Canadian Index of Wellbeing released a report on Tuesday that indicates that Canadians, particularly women, are experiencing increasing stress from feeling pressed for time.

The demands of childcare, single-parenting and caring for aging relatives — tasks which are most often taken on by women — are cited as key reasons that people are feeling the time crunch. In general, a higher proportion of females (22.7%) than males (16.6%) reported feeling time pressure.

The report lists the following pressures that are contributing to Canadians’ time crunch:

•  A greater demand by consumers for services in the evenings, weekends and holiday
• A lack of comprehensive childcare support for many Canadians
• An increase in urban sprawl (people are spending more time commuting to work)
• Greater innovation and adaptation of workplace technologies (smartphones and laptops keep employees perpetually “on call”)
• An increase in passive activities among children and adolescents (young people are exceeding recommended amounts of time in front of the TV, video, and computer screens)
•  An aging population (in the absence of community support for seniors, families are taking on the care of their elder members)
• Leisure and culture activities are becoming more expensive.  

You can read the report, Caught in the Time Crunch: Time Use, Leisure and Culture in Canada (PDF, 1MB), or visit the Canadian Index of Wellbeing web site for more information about factors affecting Canadians’ way of life.