Men have more leisure time than women

Men enjoy half an hour more leisure time a day than women, a study has revealed.

The research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development divided time into work, unpaid work, personal care and leisure.

It found that men have an extra 32 minutes to leisurely do what they want, whether watching television, socialising, playing sport or with hobbies.

Women have it a little worse in the United States where the chunk of leisure time men have is 38 minutes. It’s 33 minutes in France, 50 minutes in Belgium and 22 minutes in Germany.

However, it’s Italian women who fare the worst. The report said: 'While Norwegian-men spend just a few minutes more a day on leisure activities than women, Italian men spend nearly 80 minutes a day more.'

The big gap in Italy is, according to the report, a result of Italian men watching television while their wives clean the house.

The research was released to mark International Women's Day, using the comparative laziness of men to support calls for action to bring greater equality for women. It said: 'Governments and firms need to do more to tackle the gender equality gap.'

Across the countries studied by the OECD, 62 per cent of women have jobs but they earned a fifth less than men, the report found.

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