Women shifting from unpaid domestic work to paid jobs: government survey

Tue Feb 25 17:15:36 UTC 2025: ## Indian Women Increasingly Enter Paid Workforce, Time Use Survey Reveals

**New Delhi, February 26, 2025** – A new Time Use Survey conducted by the National Statistics Office and released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation reveals a significant shift in the participation of Indian women in the workforce. The survey, covering 139,487 households and 454,192 individuals aged six and above, shows a marked increase in women’s engagement in employment and related activities.

The data indicates that participation in employment and related activities among individuals aged 15-59 rose from 70.9% to 75% for men and from 21.8% to 25% for women between 2019 and 2024. This increase is linked to a decrease in the time women dedicate to unpaid domestic services, dropping from 315 minutes per day in 2019 to 305 minutes in 2024.

While men in this age group spent an average of 473 minutes daily on employment and related activities, women dedicated 341 minutes. The survey also highlighted the disparity in unpaid domestic work, with women spending 289 minutes daily compared to 88 minutes for men. Furthermore, women spent significantly more time (137 minutes) than men (75 minutes) caring for household members. Approximately 41% of women aged 15-59 participated in caregiving, compared to 21.4% of men in the same age group. Women involved in caregiving spent an average of 140 minutes per day, versus 74 minutes for men.

The survey also noted that individuals aged six and above spent an average of 171 minutes daily on cultural, leisure, and media activities, with children aged 6-14 dedicating 413 minutes to learning. Self-care activities consumed an average of 708 minutes daily for individuals aged six and above. The survey further revealed that 16.8% of the population participated in producing goods for their own use, spending 116 minutes on these activities daily. The findings suggest a gradual but noteworthy shift towards greater female participation in the paid workforce in India.

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