Why in the news
The National Statistics Office (NSO) released the Time Use Survey 2024, showing how Indians split their day between work, care and leisure and how gender roles are shifting.
Key findings
| Indicator | Men | Women |
|---|
| Employment participation, 15-59 (2019 to 2024) | 70.9% to 75% | 21.8% to 25% |
| Employment-related time per day | 473 min | 341 min |
| Unpaid domestic work per day | 88 min | 137 min |
| Participation in household caregiving | 21.4% | 41% |
| Caregiving time per day | 74 min | 140 min |
| Recreation and culture per day | 177 min | 164 min |
- Average employment-related time: 440 minutes/day overall.
- Women’s unpaid domestic work dipped from 315 min (2019) to 305 min (2024).
- Overall recreation and cultural time: 171 min/day.
- Children aged 6-14 spend 413 min on learning; those aged 6 and above spend 708 min on self-care.
- 16.8% of people produce goods for own use (farming, handicrafts), for 116 min/day.
Survey sample
| Unit | Rural | Urban | Total |
|---|
| Households | 83,247 | 56,240 | 1,39,487 |
| Individuals (6+) | 2,85,389 | 1,68,803 | 4,54,192 |
Concerns and way forward
- Women still carry most unpaid care; deep social norms create a double burden limiting career growth and leisure.
- Reasons for the dip in unpaid work: urbanisation, economic independence, changing family structures.
- Needs: childcare support, flexible work, shared chores, gender-sensitive reforms, and men taking more household responsibility.
Exam angle
- Conducted by: NSO.
- Women’s employment rate: 25% (2024).