Exploring gender disparities in unpaid household care labor: A mixed-methods study from rural South India

Abstract

Background: Worldwide women spend 4.5 h daily on unpaid work while men spend about half of that time. Aims and Objectives: The aims and objectives of the study are to estimate the time spent by both men and women on the various types of unpaid care labor and to determine the economic estimates of unpaid labor. Materials and Methods: An embedded study (descriptive cross-sectional along with qualitative component) was conducted for a period of 3 months in 2020 in the rural area of a tertiary care medical institution in South India. 360 study participants of 15–60 years were recruited using simple random sampling and inquired for the time spent on care activities. Cumulative hours spent per year and its economic estimate was calculated using Oxfam global care calculator. Results: Female participants did significantly higher hours of unpaid care (3596.5 h) as compared to male participants (2938.3 h) (P < 0.05). Economic estimates of unpaid care per year were significantly higher (INR 103641.8) for females as compared to males (INR 84610) (P < 0.005). The reasons for gender-based disparity were patriarchy, perception of redundancy, male chauvinism, and absence of self-realization. Conclusion: The policymakers and administrators should develop policies which recognize, reduce, redistribute, and represent unpaid labor work.