There’s definitely a change in how we spend our time as we head into retirement. A reality check on how Canadians are actually spending their time may help you develop a realistic retirement path.
A Portrait of Seniors, a study commissioned by the federal, territorial and provincial governments in 2006, gives a bird’s eye view of how retirement in Canada is actually being lived.
It’s about leisure. Canadians double the amount of time they spend reading once they retire.
It’s about your home. Women still spend more time doing domestic chores than men do, and men do more home maintenance than women.
And it’s about sleeping. Men who are 55 and older sleep between eight and nine hours each day; women 55 and older sleep 8.5 to 9.2 hours. Is getting more sleep one of your retirement dreams?
Check out how Canadians are spending their retirement time.
Values expressed in average hours per day spent on the activity.
| Age 55 to 64 | Age 65 to 74 | Age 75 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic chores | 1 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| House maintenance | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| Shopping | 0.8 | 1 | 1.1 |
| Sleeping | 8.3 | 9 | 9.5 |
| Eating | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Watching T.V. | 2.9 | 3.8 | 3.9 |
| Reading | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.5 |
| Computer use | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Other leisure | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
Note: All data in this table is an approximation of the values captured within the chart
Source: A Portrait of Seniors in Canada, Statistics Canada, Copyright 2007 Ministry of Industry, Canada
Values expressed in average hours per day spent on the activity
| Age 55 to 64 | Age 65 to 74 | Age 75 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic chores | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| House maintenance | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1 |
| Shopping | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| Sleeping | 8.6 | 9.3 | 9.5 |
| Eating | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Watching T.V. | 2.5 | 3.1 | 3.6 |
| Reading | 0.6 | 1 | 1.3 |
| Computer use | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Other leisure | 3 | 4 | 2.8 |
Note: All data in this table is an approximation of the values captured within the chart
Source: A Portrait of Seniors in Canada, Statistics Canada, Copyright 2007 Ministry of Industry, Canada