Ex-Post harmonization of time use data: Current practices and challenges in the field

Time use surveys enable analyses of multiple dimensions of daily life including what people do, the contexts of activities, and related effects. Time diary data are relevant for researchers in multiple disciplines and with wide-ranging topical interests. The collection of these types of data occurs throughout the world. Time diary data became increasingly common during the second half of the twentieth century, though researchers were collecting time diary data in the early 1900s. The abundance of time diary data is both exciting for researchers and presents a challenge since the data have not been collected the same across time and place. The two aspects of these data that increase the need for and complexity of harmonization include the specifics of the time diary structure and format and the activity coding scheme. This chapter guides the researcher through the harmonization process and provides a link to a large dataset of harmonized time use surveys that are available to users through the IPUMS platform.