Syllabus: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.
Context
- Rapid expansion of AI-driven workplaces has intensified job insecurity and upskilling pressures.
- Working women already face near 80-hour work weeks due to unpaid domestic and care work.
- AI threatens paid jobs, but unpaid labour remains invisible and uncompensated.
Time Use and Gendered Work Burden
- Time Use Survey 2024 shows around 40% women participate in the labour force.
- Women experience stacking of paid and unpaid work, not substitution.
- Average working woman spends 9.6 hours daily on combined paid and unpaid work.
- Unpaid work includes childcare, eldercare, cooking, cleaning, and subsistence activities.
- Burden peaks during 25–39 years, crossing 70 hours weekly.
Male–Female Work Hour Disparity
- Men average 8.6 hours daily on combined work.
- Over 80% of men’s work time is paid, with minimal unpaid responsibilities.
- Men’s total weekly work ranges between 54–60 hours across life stages.
- Gender gap widest during prime working years due to unequal caregiving roles.
Impact on Health and Self-Development
- Women compensate by reducing sleep and self-care.
- Women sleep 2–2.5 hours less weekly during prime working years.
- Women spend 10 hours less per week on self-development than men.
- Gap widens to 11–12 hours weekly during ages 25–39.
- Reduced learning time weakens AI-era skill transitions.
Economic Implications
- Women contribute only 17% of India’s GDP, despite high labour input.
- Unpaid work is excluded from national income calculations.
- Nearly 40% women outside labour force cite household duties (PLFS).
- AI risks worsening exclusion as women’s jobs are more automation-prone.
- Algorithmic performance metrics ignore caregiving constraints.
Policy Imperatives
- Empowerment requires replacement of drudgery, not job addition alone.
- Policies must adopt outcome-based approaches using time-use data.
- Gender budgets should prioritise time-saving infrastructure:
- Affordable childcare and eldercare
- Piped water and clean energy
- Safe and accessible public transport
- Expand flexible, lifelong upskilling aligned with women’s time constraints.
- Scale initiatives like India AI Mission and AI Careers for Women.
Conclusion
- Women’s time poverty constrains productivity, growth, and AI readiness.
- Valuing and freeing women’s time is essential for Viksit Bharat 2047.