Introduction
Work is an essential part of human life. Work is done to satisfy human wants. With the expansion of science and technology, human activities have increased substantially. The activities performed by human beings to satisfy their wants are known as human activities. Some activities are undertaken to earn money, while others are taken up to achieve personal satisfaction.
Types of human activities
All human beings engage themselves in some activities to satisfy their basic needs. For example, a farmer works in a field, a worker works in a factory, and a professional (doctor, advocate, chartered accountant) is busy in their profession. Human activities, depending on wants, may broadly be classified into two categories:
- Economic Activities
- Non-economic Activities
Economic Activities
Economic activities refer to those activities that are undertaken to earn money or earn a living. For example, a worker working in a factory, a farmer attending to agriculture work, or a doctor attending to patients—all these activities are undertaken to earn a living.
Economic activities are concerned with the production, exchange, and consumption of goods and services that are not available free of cost.
Non-Economic Activities
Non-economic activities refer to all those activities that are pursued for social, religious, cultural, psychological, or sentimental reasons.
Non-economic activities have no economic motive and are performed for self-satisfaction. These activities are voluntary and are undertaken at the pleasure of the person pursuing them.
Basis for Classifying Economic and Non-Economic Activities
If the activities are performed to earn money or a living, then these are economic activities. If the activities are undertaken without the aim of earning money, then these are non-economic activities. The same activity can be economic as well as non-economic. For example, a doctor attending to a patient is an economic activity because the doctor will charge a fee for this work, but when the same doctor is attending to his ailing daughter, this will become a non-economic activity. Similarly, a housewife preparing food at home is a non-economic activity, and the same person preparing food at a restaurant is an economic activity because this is done for a monetary gain.
Difference between Economic Activities and Non-economic Activities
| Basis | Economic Activities | Non-Economic Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meaning | Economic activities are monetary activities. | Non-economic activities arise for sentimental reasons. |
| 2. Objective | The main objective is to earn money. | The main objective is to get some sort of satisfaction. |
| 3. Satisfaction | The needs of people are satisfied. | Social, psychological, and emotional needs are satisfied. |
| 4. Money measurement | These activities are measured in money or money’s worth. | These activities are not measured in money. |
| 5. Duration | These are performed regularly during the working life of a person. | These are performed during the spare time of leisure; the period is limited. |
| 6. End result | These activities produce goods and services. | These activities satisfy mental or emotional needs. |
| 7. Examples | Worker working in a factory, a doctor attending to patients, or an advocate attending court. | A teacher teaching his son, a lady cooking for the family, a doctor doing social service. |
