UK men enjoy increasingly more leisure time than women

Men in the UK enjoy almost five more hours of leisure time per week than women, new research from the Office of National Statistics shows.

According to the data, males aged 16 and over had an average of 43 hours of leisure time per week, as opposed to women who had just 38.

When compared to the amount of free time afforded to both sexes 15 years earlier, the data suggested that there was a growing level of inequality between men and women when it came to taking time for themselves as men began to take considerably more and women, slightly less.

'Millennials', or at least those aged 25 to 34, were found to take the least amount of leisure time out of any age group. Less surprisingly, Brits aged 65 and above took the most amount of leisure time, followed by those aged between 16 and 24.

Britons living in households with a child under the age of 15 years old reported taking as much as 14 hours per week less than single people, but parents whose youngest child was aged between five and ten years old took, on average, 90 minutes more leisure time than they did in 2000.

Men consistently took more leisure time than women regardless of how old the child in their household was.

Leisure time in the ONS analysis includes activities including socialising, cultural activities, resting and taking time out, sports or outdoor pursuits, hobbies, computing and games, mass media, eating out and travel associated with these leisure activities.

The survey recorded the main activity that a person was completing at the time. It excludes paid work, unpaid work such as chores or childcare, study, travel unrelated to leisure activities, and actions necessary for existing such as eating and sleeping.