Women Spend Thrice More Than Men on Unpaid Work, Says Report

Hyderabad: Indian women spend three times more time than men on unpaid household chores and face substantial challenges in balancing professional and domestic responsibilities, said a report.

According to a study conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) in collaboration with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), women work 301 minutes daily on unpaid household chores compared to just 98 minutes for men.

The report shows that the imbalance extends to all women, with married women bearing even heavier burdens. “Educated women, despite better managing their workload, still face substantial challenges in balancing professional and domestic responsibilities,” the report explained.

For many Indian women, these results are not surprising. Cultural norms dictate that women, especially those who are married, must carry the weight of household duties, often at the expense of their careers.

"There is an immense societal pressure on women to fulfil their roles as wives and mothers, often, at the expense of their professional ambitions," explains Alizeh Virani, a counselling psychologist. These duties increase significantly for married women, who spend almost twice as much time on unpaid chores as unmarried women. The presence of children and the prevalence of nuclear families add to this burden.

Abhinav Maadela, a marketing manager, shares his efforts to support his wife with household duties. "I try to help wherever I can — cooking, cleaning, even managing the kids' schoolwork," he says.

However, he acknowledges the societal expectation that women still handle the bulk of the household responsibilities. "No matter how much I try, people often expect my wife to be the one in charge of running the household, and that pressure affects her more than me," he adds, showing how gender expectations persist, even in families where men are actively involved in household tasks.

The 98 minutes that men spend on household chores include basic tasks like occasional cleaning, running errands, or light caregiving, the study said. However, it pales in comparison to the multi-layered responsibilities women shoulder daily, encompassing meal preparation, cleaning, caregiving, and household management.

The study doesn’t just reveal the time spent on these tasks, it also reflects on the type of work women handle. In urban areas, the situation for working women gets worse by long, tiring commutes.

The study found that married women spend nearly twice as much time on household chores as their unmarried counterparts, with responsibilities increasing in the presence of children, especially in nuclear families.

The toll on women’s health is severe, leading to stress, fatigue, and burnout. "I am constantly fatigued, and my mental health has taken a hit. I can’t remember the last time I did something for myself," says Ratna Mudavath, a marketing executive who manages both her career and household responsibilities.

"Women often juggle work and household chores with little help, while workplaces in India are rigid and rarely accommodate the dual pressures women face," said Priyanka Padhi, psychologist. The lack of flexible work hours and support systems for childcare further exacerbates this problem..

Addressing this issue requires a multifaceted approach involving individuals, families, workplaces, and the government. As Renu Mathew Koshi, a programme manager, suggests, "Women should advocate for flexible work arrangements and set clear boundaries between work and personal life."

Encouraging men to take on equal household duties and implementing workplace policies that support parental leave and flexible hours are also essential steps toward a more balanced and supportive environment.