New Delhi

The number of men in paid employment has increased by more than 4 percentage points, while the number of women in such employment activities has risen by over 3 percentage points, according to the all-India Time Use Survey released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Tuesday.

In 2024, 75 per cent of men and 25 per cent of women aged 15–59 participated in employment and related activities during the reference period of 24 hours. This marks an increase from 2019 figures, where 70.9 per cent of men and 21.8 per cent of women were engaged in such activities, as stated in the survey.

Women aged 15–59 involved in unpaid domestic services spent approximately 315 minutes daily on these activities in 2019, which decreased to 305 minutes in 2024, indicating a shift from unpaid to paid activities, according to the survey.

About 41 per cent of women aged 15–59 participated in caregiving for their household members, whereas male participation in this age group was 21.4 per cent.

Additionally, women engaged in caregiving activities spent about 140 minutes per day, compared to 74 minutes spent by men in the same age group. This reflects the Indian social structure, where most caregiving responsibilities for household members are undertaken by women, as per the survey.

The survey also notes that 24.6 per cent of the rural population aged 15–59 participated in producing goods for their own final use, spending 121 minutes daily on such activities.

Furthermore, 89.3 per cent of children aged 6–14 engaged in learning activities, dedicating around 413 minutes per day to these pursuits.

Individuals aged 6 and above spent 11 per cent of their daily time on cultural, leisure, mass media, and sports practices in 2024, an increase from 9.9 per cent in 2019.

In the 2024 Time Use Survey, respondents detailed their activities in designated 30-minute time slots, with up to three activities recorded per slot if each was performed for 10 minutes or more. Information was collected from individuals aged 6 and above, covering a 24-hour reference period.

The survey encompassed 139,487 households (83,247 rural and 56,240 urban). Data was gathered from each household member aged 6 and above.

The National Statistics Office conducted the first all-India Time Use Survey from January to December 2019. The current survey, conducted from January to December 2024, is the second of its kind.

India joins a select group of countries—including Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the USA, and China—that conduct National Time Use Surveys to analyse how people allocate their time to various daily activities.

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The primary objective of the survey is to measure the participation of men and women in paid and unpaid activities.

The Time Use Survey serves as a vital source of information on time spent in unpaid caregiving activities, volunteer work, and unpaid domestic service-producing activities by household members. It also provides insights into time dedicated to learning, socialising, leisure activities, self-care, and more by household members.