Choice or duty: Experts want govt survey to check on women's unpaid care work

Key Highlights:

• Experts suggest government survey to determine if women's unpaid care work is by choice or duty.
• MoSPI's Time Use Survey measures time spent on activities like learning, paid work, and unpaid domestic work.
• In 2024, females spent 137 minutes daily on unpaid care work, compared to 75 minutes for males.
• Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) in August was 33.7% for those aged 15 years and above.

Detailed Insights:

• Unpaid care work contributes to 'time poverty', hindering women's participation in paid work and skill development.
• A 2-hour increase in unpaid labor correlates with a 10% decrease in Female Labour Force Participation Rate.
• Time spent by females aged 15-29 on unpaid care rose from 154 minutes in 2019 to 164 minutes in 2024.
• In 2024, 84% of females aged 6 years and above participated in unpaid activities, compared to 45.8% of males.
• Experts also suggested collecting data on household members' digital access and capturing passive care needs.
• The panel discussion highlighted changing patterns of time use, care work, and gender in the digital era.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Time Poverty: Lack of free time due to excessive time spent on unpaid work, limiting opportunities.
• FLFPR (Female Labour Force Participation Rate): Percentage of women in the workforce or actively seeking employment.
• Unpaid Care Work: Uncompensated activities like childcare, elder care, and household tasks.