Spending more time at work and less time with the family?
You're not alone, according to a new study that examines the time Canadian workers spend with family members during a typical workday.
The Statistics Canada study found that on average workers spent 45 minutes less with their family during workdays in 2005 than they did two decades earlier.
Based on a 260-day work year, that amounts to 195 hours less, or the equivalent of about five 40-hour work weeks. Commuting time was not included in this study.
Time spent with family members declined between 1986 and 2005 for most groups of workers. For example, in 1986 women spent an average of 248 minutes with their family members during workdays, while in 2005 they spent 209 minutes, a difference of 39 minutes.
For men, the average time fell by 45 minutes, from 250 minutes in 1986 to 205 in 2005.
The study said the main factor associated with the decline was an appreciable increase in time devoted to paid employment.
Between 1986 and 2005, the average time devoted to paid employment during the typical workday, including lunch and breaks, increased considerably. On average, Canadians worked 536 minutes, or 8.9 hours, during a typical workday in 2005, up from 506, or 8.4 hours, two decades earlier.
The proportion of workers who devoted long hours to their paid activities also increased. For example, in 1986, about 17 per cent of workers devoted 10 hours or more to their work; by 2005, this had jumped to 25 per cent.