Abstract
Time allocation data of Sundanese villagers in West Java were collected by the time-saving spot-check method in August 1983 (dry season) and February 1984 (rainy season). Seasonal variations and differences by sex and age of directly productive activities (DPAs), household maintenance activities (HMAs), and their sum (total work; TW) were analyzed in the human ecological context of the population-land relation.
Married people, unmarried youth, and school children did 62%, 17%, and 14% of TW respectively. Males did 65% of DPAs, while females did 88% of HMAs. Daily work hours of married women (8.3 hours/day in the dry season and 8.4 in the rainy season) were similar to those of married men (8.5 and 8.1 hours). Dry field cultivation, stock animal care, working in factories, and collecting firewood accounted for 19%, 18%, 14%, and 14% of DPAs respectively, whereas wet-rice cultivation accounted for only 10%. Though many DPAs showed significant seasonal variations, there were no seasonal differences in daily TW hours, daily DPA work hours, and daily HMA work hours for either men or women. The relation of these findings with Sundanese overpopulation and the usefulness of time allocation in elucidating this relationship are discussed.
