Women’s day is just over, and a survey by the National Statistical Office (NSO), a wing of the ministry of statistics and program implemented, has found that providing large-scale employment to women is a myth even in 2022.

In the survey, it was found that an average woman in India spends 19.5 percent of her time in domestic work or caregiving. In contrast, men spend just about 2.5 percent in the 24-hour period. It was also found that 53.2 percent of participants were found to be engaged in “unpaid domestic services for their household members.” Also, the figures were higher in rural areas as compared to urban areas.

According to the NSO report, urban women spend on an average 25 percent less than men on employment activities, while the time gap is 18 percent in rural areas. Incidentally, the gap between the employment participation rate for men and women in urban areas is bigger when compared to rural Telangana. Men in urban areas spend 75.4 percent of their time on employment as against 69.8 percent in rural areas. As for women, urban women spend 30.5 percent while rural women spend 22.6 percent.

On the national level, it was found that, on average, an Indian woman spends about 243 minutes on household work, which is a little over four hours in a day, as compared to men who spend 25 minutes. In other groups taken into consideration, such as employment, learning, socializing, leisure, self-care activities like sleeping and eating, men spend a higher share of their daily time than women.

It was also found that there was an inverse relationship between age and the amount of time spent on household chores. While the time came down drastically in women above 60, men worked more in terms of household chores after 60.

In Telangana’s urban areas like Hyderabad, Warangal, men spend 571 minutes in employment activities while a woman spends 430 minutes in a day. In rural Telangana, men spend 486 minutes while women spend 394 minutes in employment activities.