‘More than half of Indian women remain outside labour force due to care duties’: International Labour Organization report

“Iran, Egypt, Jordan, Mali and India person much than 50 per cent of women extracurricular the labour unit owed to attraction responsibilities and whitethorn request further concern successful the attraction economy, peculiarly successful ECCE. On the different hand, countries specified arsenic Belarus, Bulgaria, Latvia and Sweden person little than 10 per cent of women extracurricular the labour unit owed to caregiving portion investing astir 1 per cent of GDP successful ECCE,” the ILO study said.

The study besides showed that 97.8 per cent women and 91.4 per cent men successful India are extracurricular the labour unit owed to idiosyncratic oregon household reasons.

According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for 2023-24, 36.7 per cent of females and 19.4 per cent of the workforce successful India is engaged successful unpaid enactment successful household enterprises arsenic against 37.5 per cent females and 18.3 per cent of full workers successful 2022-23.

The earlier Time Use Survey 2019 by the National Statistical Office (NSO) had besides shown the ample proportionality of women spending clip implicit unpaid activities specified arsenic home enactment and attraction responsibilities. As per the Survey, astir 81 per cent of females aged 6 years and supra spent implicit 5 hours regular connected unpaid home services successful India, with the stock being higher for the property radical 15-29 years astatine 85.1 per cent and 92 per cent for the property radical 15-59 years. Within the 60+ property group, 78 per cent of women lend to unpaid home services. In comparison, men spent conscionable implicit 1 hr regular for unpaid home services with 24.5 per cent stock (6 years and above), 22.5 per cent (15-29 years) and 27 per cent (15-59 years).

For caregiving, 26.2 per cent of females aged 6 years and supra spent implicit 2 hours regular for unpaid caregiving services to household members, treble that of 12.4 per cent for males successful the aforesaid property group. The stock was higher for the 15-29 years property bracket for females astatine 38.4 per cent and 31.2 per cent for 15-59 property group, portion the aforesaid for males was 10.2 per cent and 14.3 per cent, respectively.

According to the caller ILO planetary estimates, which were released connected Tuesday, globally, an estimated 708 cardinal women are extracurricular the labour unit due to the fact that of unpaid attraction responsibilities. In 2023, 748 cardinal radical (aged 15 years oregon older) were not participating successful the planetary labour unit due to the fact that of attraction responsibilities, accounting for a 3rd of each working-age persons extracurricular of the labour force. Of these, 708 cardinal were women and 40 cardinal were men, the UN bureau said.

Before this, the erstwhile estimation by ILO for 2018 had recovered that 606 cardinal women and 41 cardinal men (a full of 647 cardinal radical worldwide) were not participating successful the labour unit owed to attraction responsibilities. The UN bureau said that though the caller estimates are not comparable owed to methodology changes, they amusement that attraction responsibilities proceed to beryllium the main crushed women are not looking oregon not disposable for employment.

Care responsibilities contiguous the main obstruction to women entering and staying successful the labour force, portion men are much apt to mention different idiosyncratic reasons for being extracurricular the labour force, specified arsenic acquisition and wellness issues.

This shows the disproportionate relation of women successful child-rearing and attraction on with housekeeping and different attraction responsibilities. Women with little acquisition and those successful agrarian areas look a higher obstruction to workforce participation, it said.

“Women enarthrosis a disproportionate stock of attraction responsibilities, preventing their information successful the labour unit owed to factors specified arsenic debased acquisition levels, constricted occupation opportunities, mediocre infrastructure, agrarian residence, and inadequate attraction and enactment systems. Additionally, societal expectations and norms astir caregiving further restrict women’s labour marketplace inclusion, and deepen sex inequalities,” Sukti Dasgupta, Director of the Conditions of Work and Equality Department, ILO, said.

Region omniscient information shows that the highest percent of women extracurricular the labour unit citing attraction responsibilities arsenic the crushed was successful Northern Africa (63 per cent), portion eastbound Europe had the lowest complaint globally (11 per cent). In the 2nd spot were the Arab states (59 per cent), followed by Asia and the Pacific (52 per cent). In the Americas, the saltation is stark, with 47 per cent citing attraction arsenic the main crushed for being extracurricular the labour unit successful Latin America and the Caribbean arsenic against 19 per cent successful Northern America. In Europe and Central Asia, 21 per cent of women study caregiving arsenic the main obstruction to participate the workforce, the study said.