ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the pertinence of residual time as a proxy for well-being. Child protection is thus increasingly considered in its ambivalent dimension, which also includes the risks associated with confinement, the loss of freedom, the habit of submission and pressure towards conformity. In agricultural or urban informal economies, children contribute to the family economy, whereas, in urban market systems, they are a cost burden. The chapter argues that residual time, although not to be equated with well-being, is a means to grasp the essence of well-being. During childhood, the availability of residual time contributes to the development of the personality. Time-use studies are particularly appropriate in clarifying gender asymmetries and have been widely used to estimate differences in the domestic burden and in total workloads. Risky activities should be minimised in order to transform residual time into a constructive opportunity. Globally, the amount of available residual time during adolescence has been increasing, though this trend is highly variable.
