In 2024 the National Statistics Office asked people across India how they spent the previous 24 hours. It was the country's second Time Use Survey, after 2019. The results show two very different days for men and women.
All figures below are for people aged 15 to 59. "Participation" is the share who did the activity at all that day. "Minutes" is the average time spent by those who did it.
Who does the housework
Unpaid domestic work: who does it and for how long
Ages 15 to 59, India, 2024
Source: Time Use Survey 2024, National Statistics Office, MoSPI
Nine in ten women did unpaid housework on the survey day, for just over five hours. Three in ten men did any, for under an hour and a half. Cooking, cleaning and washing remain overwhelmingly women's work.
There is a small shift. Women who did housework spent 315 minutes on it in 2019 and 305 minutes in 2024.
Who does the paid work
The picture flips for jobs. Three in four men did paid or employment related work that day, against one in four women.
| Activity | Men, % who did it | Men, minutes | Women, % who did it | Women, minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment and related work | 75.0 | 480 | 25.0 | 344 |
| Unpaid domestic work | 30.4 | 86 | 92.9 | 305 |
| Unpaid care of household members | 21.4 | 74 | 41.0 | 140 |
| Culture, leisure, media and sport | 94.6 | 156 | 89.2 | 145 |
| Learning | 13.0 | 422 | 11.2 | 412 |
| Self care, including sleep | 100.0 | 690 | 100.0 | 686 |
What is equal
Some parts of the day look almost the same. Men and women spent close to eleven and a half hours on self care, which includes sleeping and eating. Students of both sexes spent close to seven hours learning. Leisure time differs by only eleven minutes.
Why this matters
Unpaid work does not show up in GDP. When women spend five hours a day on it, that time is not available for paid jobs. This is one reason India's female labour force participation is low by world standards.
The survey also shows care work is a second shift. Four in ten women looked after children or elderly family members, for over two hours. Two in ten men did, for about an hour and a quarter.