Between 2016 and 2017, the percentage of persons who carried out household tasks and care of persons increased from 82.7% to 86.0%, reaching 145 million persons. This rate increased more among men (4.6 p.p.) than among women (2.0 p.p.), yet it still showed a large gap between men and women: while the rate was 92.6% for women, it was 78.7% for men. Moreover, women dedicated nearly twice the time to these activities, representing an average of 20.9 hours per week, whereas this average was 10.8 hours per week for men.

Among all the forms of work surveyed, care of persons increased the most from one year to the other, changing from 26.9% to 31.5% and representing an increase of 8.3 million persons, adding up to 53.2 million. This rate was 37.0% for women and 25.6% for men.

The achievement rate of care of persons is nearly twice for women aged between 14 and 24 years (33.6%) in relation to men at the same age (18.5%). However, male children got more involved with care of persons in 2017, whose percentage changed from 12.7% to 16.2%, representing a growth of 27.6%.

Undertaking household tasks also increased between 2016 and 2017, changing from 81.3% to 84.4%, which corresponded to 142.4 million persons. The increase was more intense among men (4.5 p.p.) than among women (1.9 p.p.). Even so, the achievement rates of household tasks were still quite different among men (76.4%) and women (91.7%).

While the highest achievement rate of household tasks was among female partners (97.0%), men responsible for the households were those who mostly undertook household tasks (85.0%). It should also be highlighted that the higher the schooling level of men, the higher the achievement rate, varying from 73.0% at the lowest level to 83.8% for complete higher education.

Concerning the production for own consumption, the achievement rate increased from 6.3% to 7.4% between 2016 and 2017 (12.4 million persons), being higher for men (7.9%) than for women (6.9%). The higher the schooling level, the lower the rate of producing for own consumption, varying from 12.9% among uneducated persons or persons with incomplete primary school to 2.7% among those with complete higher education.

The agricultural activities prevailed in the production for own consumption, being the activities of cropping, fishing, hunting and animal breeding (76.4%) and of production of coal, cutting or collection of firewood, straw or other material (16.9%) those with the highest proportion.

Between 2016 and 2017, the percentage of persons who carried out voluntary work increased from 3.9% to 4.4%, reaching 7.4 million persons aged 14 years and over. In proportional terms, women carried out more voluntary work than men (5.1% against 3.5%). The higher the schooling level, the higher the rate of undertaking: 2.9% of uneducated persons or persons with incomplete primary education carried out voluntary work and 8.1% of persons with complete higher education did it.

These are some of the highlights of the Continuous PNAD 2017 - Other forms of work, which investigated persons aged 14 years and over who produced for own consumption, took care of persons, carried out household tasks and voluntary work in the reference week. Access the support material of this survey on the right size of this page.

Agricultural activities prevail in production for own consumption

In 2017, 7.4% (12.4 million) of the persons aged 14 years and over undertook some type of work for own consumption, an increase of 1.1 percentage points in relation to 2016 (6.3%). The achievement rate of this form of work was higher for men (7.9%) than for women (6.9%). The North (11.1%), Northeast (10.4%) and South (9.7%) Regions registered the highest percentages of persons who carried out such activities.

The higher the schooling level, the lower the rate of producing for own consumption, varying from 12.9% among uneducated persons or persons with incomplete primary school to 2.7% among those with complete higher education. Unemployed persons also recorded higher rates: 8.3%, versus 6.6% among those employed.

Like in 2016, the most sought activity of production for own consumption was cropping, fishing, hunting and animal breeding (76.4%), followed by production of coal, cutting or collection of firewood, straw or other material (16.9%). However, these two activities dropped 1.2 p.p. and 0.4 p.p., respectively.

In spite of recording lower achievement rates, the activities of manufacture of footwear, clothes, furniture, ceramics, food and other products (13.1%) and construction of buildings, rooms, wells and other construction works (7.5%) increased 1.5 p.p. and 0.5 p.p. from one year to the other, respectively. It should be also highlighted that the activity of manufacture of footwear, clothes, furniture, ceramics, food and other products was the only one in which the participation of women (25.8%) was higher than that of men (1.0%).

Despite the increase in the achievement rate of this type of work between 2016 and 2017, the average number of weekly hours that persons dedicated to the production for own consumption dropped in every activity. Construction of buildings, rooms, wells and other construction works remained the one that spent more hours (14.5 hours).

Undertaking care of persons grows 4.6 p.p. in a year

Between 2016 and 2017, the percentage of persons who took care of other residents of the housing unit or non-resident relatives rose from 26.9% to 31.5%, an increase of 8.3 million persons, adding up to 53.2 million. Men and women showed a large gap in this form of work: while 37.0% of women took this care, the proportion among men was of 25.6%. The North Region posted the biggest percentage of persons taking care (37.5%) and the South Region, the smallest one (30.4%).

The achievement rate of care of persons increased among all the education levels between 2016 and 2017, especially among persons with at least the complete primary education (above 30%). While taking care grows according to schooling for men, varying from 21.7% among those uneducated or with the incomplete primary education to 29.8% among those with complete higher education, the achievement rate of care for women rose from 32.4% among those uneducated or with incomplete primary education to 40.7% among those with incomplete secondary education, falling to 35.6% among those with complete higher education.

Women aged between 14 and 24 years taking care of persons almost doubled the number of men at the same age.

Regardless of the highest achievement rate of care (43.2%) was in the age bracket between 25 and 49 years, the biggest difference of taking care between men and women could be better perceived among persons aged between 14 and 24 years, an age characterized by the large percentage of persons with small children. While 33.6% of the young women took care of other persons, only 18.5% of the young men did it, a difference of 1.8 times.

The importance of taking care of children becomes evident when noticing that 49.8% of the persons who took care of residents did it for those aged between 0 and 5 years and 49.7%, for those aged between 6 and 14 years. The care of elderly persons aged 60 years and over accounted for 8.8% of the cases of care of residents.

Concerning the types of care carried out, women participated more than men in the activities of taking personal care (86.0% against 65.5% for men) and in the educational activities (73.0% against 61.0% for men). The percentages registered for men and women in the other activities showed a smaller gap, though always higher for women.

Male children take more care of other residents or relatives in 2017

Concerning the household status of the person taking care between 2016 and 2017, male children became more involved in this task, whose percentage changed from 12.7% to 16.2%, representing an increase of 27.6%. On the other hand, spouses or partners remained as those involved the most with this task, hitting a rate of 34.7% in 2017. The rate stayed at 29.4% among the persons responsible for the housing unit.

For women, taking care of persons was higher among spouses or partners (43.7%), followed by those responsible for the housing unit (36.2%) and by daughters or stepdaughters (30.2%).

Gap between sexes remains intense when undertaking household tasks, despite the increase among men

In 2017, 84.4% of the population aged 14 years and over carried out household tasks in their own housing units or in the housing units of relatives, which corresponded to 142.4 million persons. Between 2016 and 2017, the achievement rate of household tasks increased by 3.1 p.p., more among men (4.5 p.p.) than among women (1.9 p.p.). Even so, the achievement rates of household tasks were still quite different among men (76.4%) and women (91.7%).

Persons aged between 25 and 49 years are those who mostly carried out household tasks (88.4%), both among women (95.4%) and among men (80.9%). In the 2016-2017 period, the achievement rate increased in every age group, though the increase was more intense among men aged between 14 and 24 years (increase of 6.7%) and between 25 and 49 years (6.6%).

Female spouses mostly carry out household tasks

While the highest achievement rate of household tasks was among female partners (97.0%), men responsible for the households were those who mostly undertook household tasks (85.0%). In the 2016-2017 period, the achievement rate of household tasks increased in every household status, both for men and women, though higher for sons or stepsons (increase of 8.2%).

The analysis of the achievement rate of household tasks among men responsible for housing units who lived alone or in cohabitation pointed out that the main differences were noticed in the tasks of fixing and serving food, setting tables or doing the dishes – which were carried out by 91.8% of the lone heads and 57.3% of the heads in cohabitation –, cleaning or maintaining clothes and footwear (88.2% against 51.7%) and cleaning the house, garage, backyard and garden (83.4% against 67.8%). Only the task of taking care of pets increased for household heads living in cohabitation (30.7% against 42.8%).

Men with higher education more dedicated to household tasks

The achievement rate of household tasks among women did not vary much according to the schooling level, going from 90.2% for those uneducated or with incomplete primary education to 92.7% for those with complete higher education. Among men, the higher the schooling level, the higher the achievement rate, going from 73.0% for the lowest level to 83.8% for those with complete higher education.

The most sought task was fixing or serving food, and setting tables or doing the dishes, declared by 80.1% of the persons that carried out household tasks in 2017. Except for the task of small repairs or maintenance of the housing unit, car, household appliances or other equipment, women registered higher achievement rates than those of men in all the other activities, highlighted by the large gap in the tasks of fixing or serving food, setting tables or doing the dishes (95.6% against 59.8% for men) and cleaning and maintenance of clothes and footwear (90.7% against 56.0% for men).

Household tasks and care of persons take 92.6% of women and 78.7% of men

The activities of household tasks and care of persons are often carried out at the same time. Whenever these two activities were considered together, 86.0% of the persons at working age carried them out, 3.3 p.p. more than in 2016. This rate increased more among men (4.6 p.p.) than among women (2.0 p.p.), yet it still showed a large gap between men and women: while the rate was 92.6% for women, it was 78.7% for men.

The South Region recorded the highest percentage of persons who carried out such activities (89.3%) and the smallest difference in the achievement rate among men and women (difference of 11.8%). The Northeast Region posted the lowest achievement rate (81.8%), though it reported the largest gap between men and women (27.7%).

Women virtually dedicate twice the time to household tasks and care of persons

Women dedicated nearly twice the time of men to household tasks and care of persons: while the average hours per week stayed at 20.9 hours for women, men dedicated, on average, 10.8 hours per week.

In spite of the lowest achievement rate in the Northeast Region, the persons dedicated higher average hours to these activities (17.3 hours) and the difference between men (10.8) and women (21.8) was more than twice.

Employed women undertaking household tasks and care of persons work 4.8 hours less in market and 7.8 hours more at home than men

The employment status influenced the least the time men dedicated to household tasks and care of persons: while the weekly average for those employed was 10.3 hours, it was 12.0 hours for those unemployed, a difference of 1.7 hours. This difference was of 5.1 hours for women, with an average of 18.1 hours for those employed and of 23.2 hours for those unemployed.

While women who did not carry out such activities dedicated more 1.8 hours to the labor market, men who did not carry them out worked less 0.4 hours. The difference of work hours between men and women who carried out household tasks or care of persons was of 4.8 hours more for men. The difference in the hours dedicated to household tasks and care of persons among the employed persons was of 7.8 hours more for women.

Persons with complete higher education are those who mostly undertake voluntary work

Voluntary work is that non-compulsory work, carried out at least one hour per week, without any compensation in cash or benefits, to produce goods or services to persons not living in the housing unit and to non-relatives.

Between 2016 and 2017, the percentage of persons who carried out voluntary work increased from 3.9% to 4.4%, reaching 7.4 million persons aged 14 years and over. The North Region (5.8%) registered the highest achievement rate of these activities, whereas the Northeast (3.2%) recorded the lowest one. Despite its increase, the average weekly hours dedicated to this activity decreased between 2016 and 2017, changing from 6.7 to 6.3 hours.

In proportional terms, women carried out more voluntary work than men (5.1% against 3.5%). The higher the schooling level, the higher the achievement rate: 2.9% of uneducated persons or persons with incomplete primary education carried out voluntary work and 8.1% of persons with complete higher education did it.

Of the 7.4 million persons who carried out voluntary work in 2017, 6.7 million (91.0%) did it by means of an enterprise, organization or institution, a lower proportion that that reported in 2016 (91.5%). Concerning the place where it was carried out, most persons did it in religious congregations, unions, condominiums, political parties, schools, hospitals and asylums. In Brazil, this category was informed by 79.8% of the persons who undertook voluntary work.