In 2024, a Time Use Survey revealed that Indians are dedicating more time to work and less to self-care compared to previous years. Male employment participation rose to 75%, and female participation increased to 25%. Average daily time spent on employment is 440 minutes, while time for unpaid domestic services decreased by 2%, averaging 129 minutes. Women spend 289 minutes on domestic tasks, nearly double that of men at 88 minutes. Almost 89% of children aged 6-14 engage in learning activities for 413 minutes daily, while individuals spend a total of 171 minutes on cultural, leisure, and media activities.
New Delhi:
According to the Time Use Survey released by the government, Indians dedicated more time to work and less to self-care and personal upkeep in 2024. The participation rates for males and females aged 15-59 in employment and related activities rose to 75 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively, up from 70.9 per cent and 21.8 per cent in 2019. Conversely, the average time Indians allocated to self-care and maintenance decreased by two per cent over the previous five years.
Initially conducted in 2019, the Time Use Survey examines how both men and women allocate their time across a range of paid and unpaid activities. This encompasses unpaid domestic work for family members, caregiving duties, volunteer efforts, and training, while also detailing the time spent on employment-related tasks, education, social interaction, leisure activities, and self-care, among other pursuits.
The most recent Time Use Survey, carried out from January to December 2024, marks the second national survey of its kind, involving 4.54 lakh individuals aged six and older, sourced from 1.39 lakh households.
Here are the key findings of the survey:
- In 2024, 41 per cent of Indians aged six and older took part in employment and related activities, reflecting an increase of nearly 3 percentage points since 2019. On average, individuals spent 440 minutes daily on work-related activities.
- The average time dedicated to unpaid domestic tasks was 129 minutes, a two per cent decline compared to 2019. Females contributed an average of 289 minutes per day towards unpaid domestic duties, while males spent 88 minutes.
- Males dedicated 75 minutes daily to caring for household members, while females engaged in caregiving for nearly double that time, averaging 137 minutes.
- A notable 89.3 per cent of children aged 6-14 participated in learning activities, spending an average of 413 minutes on such tasks throughout the day.
- On average, individuals aged six years and older spent 171 minutes daily on cultural, leisure, and mass media activities. Males and females spent 177 minutes and 164 minutes, respectively, on these activities.
- In 2014, Indians spent five minutes less on socializing, community engagement, and religious practices compared to the 130 minutes spent daily in 2019.