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Unpaid Work by Women: A State-level Analysis of Evidence from Time-use Survey

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  • Arpita Chakraborty
  • Rajib Sutradhar

Abstract

Low and declining female labour force participation in India over the past two decades has turned attention to the high unpaid work time spent by women. The question, however, remains whether women spend more time on unpaid work because there are not enough jobs or whether it is time spent on unpaid work that is holding them back from participation in the labour force. Against this backdrop, the present article explores India’s nationally representative time-use survey conducted by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) to estimate factors that explain variations in time spent by women in unpaid work at the state level. The results show that structural transformation, entailing a reduction in employment in agriculture and an increase in the share of industries in state GDP, does not necessarily entail any reduction in unpaid time spent by women if the technology embodied in industrialisation is not gender-friendly. Worryingly, progress in female literacy recorded by states is no guarantee of a reduction in unpaid work by women. However, a gender-friendly atmosphere does make a difference in the reduction in unpaid work reported by women. Similarly, targeted public policy intervention does relax the constraints that women face at home, with a positive effect on unpaid work time.

Suggested Citation

  • Arpita Chakraborty & Rajib Sutradhar, 2023. "Unpaid Work by Women: A State-level Analysis of Evidence from Time-use Survey," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 17(3), pages 461-476, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:inddev:v:17:y:2023:i:3:p:461-476
    DOI: 10.1177/09737030231218147
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fletcher, Erin K. & Pande, Rohini & Moore, Charity Troyer, 2019. "Women and Work in India: Descriptive Evidence and a Review of Potential Policies," India Policy Forum, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 15(1), pages 149-216.
    2. Kapsos, Steven. & Bourmpoula, Evangelia. & Silberman, Andrea., 2014. "Why is female labour force participation declining so sharply in India?," ILO Working Papers 994949190702676, International Labour Organization.
    3. Basanta K. Pradhan & Shalabh K. Singh & Arup Mitra, 2015. "Female Labour Supply in A Developing Economy: A Tale from A Primary Survey," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 99-111, January.
    4. Ashwini Deshpande & Naila Kabeer, 2021. "Norms that matter: Exploring the distribution of women's work between income generation, expenditure-saving, and unpaid domestic responsibilities in India," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-130, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
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