The number of working women in India has nearly doubled in eight years, reaching 20.1 crore in 2025. Yet women continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of household responsibilities, spending nearly five hours more than men on domestic work every day.The participation of working women has increased in India, says report More women are entering India’s workforce, but the burden of unpaid household work remains largely unchanged.

According to a report titled Participation Paradox by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), women’s workforce participation has risen sharply over the past eight years, but this has not been accompanied by a corresponding shift in domestic responsibilities.The number of working women in India increased from 10.4 crore in 2017-18 to 20.1 crore in 2025. Their share in the workforce rose from 22% to 38% during the same period.The increase has been particularly significant in rural India.

Women’s workforce participation in rural areas rose from 23.7% in 2017-18 to 44.9% in 2025. In urban areas, it increased from 18.2% to 25.9%.However, greater participation in paid employment has not translated into a more equal distribution of household responsibilities.

Women spend an average of 464 minutes a day on domestic work, compared with 178 minutes for men. This means women devote nearly four hours and 46 minutes more to household responsibilities every day.The imbalance is also reflected in the time available for leisure.

The gap between men and women in the time spent on leisure activities widened from 57 minutes in 2019 to 70 minutes in 2024. Household responsibilities and childcare remain major barriers to women’s employment.

Around 60% of women surveyed said domestic responsibilities and childcare prevented them from taking up employment outside their homes. Among men, only 1% cited these responsibilities as a reason.The gender gap also persists in earnings.

Women’s wages are estimated to be 45% of men’s wages in rural areas and 61% in urban areas, underlining the economic inequalities that continue despite the rise in women’s workforce participation.The findings point to a larger challenge facing India’s labour market. While more women are entering paid employment, the responsibility for unpaid work at home continues to rest largely on their shoulders.

For many, this effectively means managing two shifts: one at the workplace and another at home, with little corresponding increase in time for themselves.- Ends