Women shifting from unpaid domestic work to paid jobs: government survey

Survey shows increase in employment participation, shift from unpaid to paid work, and time spent on various activities by gender.

The participation of men and women in the 15-59 age group in employment and related activities in a day increased to 75% and 25%, respectively, in 2024 from 70.9% and 21.8% in 2019, according to a survey on time use conducted by the National Statistics Office.

The time spent by women in unpaid domestic services dropped to 305 minutes in 2024 compared with 315 minutes in 2019, indicating a shift from unpaid to paid pursuits, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation claimed in a statement based on the survey.

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The “Time Use Survey” measured the time spent by individuals on different activities. It found that in 2024, people involved in employment and related activities spent 440 minutes a day for such activities. While men spent 473 minutes, women spent 341 minutes in such engagements.

The survey noted that women spent 289 minutes a day in unpaid domestic services for household members. “Male members spent 88 minutes in a day in such activities. Females spent 137 minutes in a day in caring for their household members compared to 75 minutes spent by male members of the household,” the survey said.

Persons aged six and above who responded to the survey’s questions spent 171 minutes a day for activities related to culture, leisure, and mass media use. “Male and female participants spent 177 minutes and 164 minutes, respectively in a day in such activities,” it said.

Children between the age of six and 14 spent 413 minutes a day in learning-related activities. “Self-care and maintenance activities comprised an average of 708 minutes in a day for persons of age 6 years and above,” the survey said.