Women's work in India: Evidence from changes in time use between 1998 and 2019. (January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Nicholas
• Is Part Of: World development. Volume 161(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-01
• Subjects: Women -- Work -- gender -- Equality -- India -- Labour force participation; Economic history -- 1990- -- Periodicals; Economic assistance -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; 330.9
• DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.106107
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-750X

Abstract

Highlights: Despite only small changes in principal usual activity status (the conventional measure of labour force participation rates in India) there were large declines in minutes worked (based on the System of National Accounts definition) in India between 1998 and 2019 for the six states with comparable time-use data. For women, minutes of work fell 66 min per day overall and minutes of paid work fell 39 min per day. There was little change in urban areas so this is entirely driven by decreases in work in rural areas. For men, minutes of work fell 51 min per day overall. Men in rural and urban areas experienced even larger decreases in paid work than women (104 min and 147 min per day respectively) but compensated for this with large increases in time spent in self-employment. Domestic work barely changed for rural women and decreased for urban women, leading to substantial gains in leisure for women. Leisure for men also increased but by less, leading to a reduction in the male–female leisure gap from 51 min in 1998 to 26 min by 2019. The reduction in work (and increase in leisure) for rural women occurred within all six states, within all caste/religious groups, and for all levels of education. For men the reductions in work (and increases in leisure) are concentrated among low income and low education households. Abstract: I provide evidence on long-run changes in women's work for six Indian states common to the 1998–99 and 2019 time-use surveys. Rural women experienced large decreases in work time (especially paid work) but urban women did not. Men experienced larger declines in paid work but partly compensated with greater self-employment. Changes in self-reported "principal usual activity status" that are typically used to measure labour force participation do not provide an accurate measure of these changes in work time. Declining work for rural women is observed regardless of self-reported usual activity status, education level, caste/religious group, or state. Leisure time for women increased, reducing the gender-gap in leisure by 50%.