Bhubaneswar: When former US President John F Keendy had said, “We must use time as tool, not as a couch,” how the men and women in India in this gizmo age are spending their minutes every day?
The biggest casualty during the last five year period discovered in the Time Use Survey (TUS) conducted by NSSO has been a drop in learning curve.
In the year 2019, on an average women in India spent 7 hours in learning activities, men spent 7.1hrs. The minutes spent on learning in 2024 have been down to 6.8 hr for women and 6.9 hrs for men.
However, the time spent on volunteerism or unpaid work has shown an uptrend, if the TUS findings are to be believed.
As per the TUS data, time spent by women and men in volunteerism or unpaid work has increased to 1.8hrs and 2.3hrs, respectively, in 2019, the time spent on the same has been 1.6hrs for women and 1.7hrs for men.
SELF CARE TOPS
The TUS has detailed how the 24 hours or 1440 minutes were spent by women and men in India in 2024. The TUS 2019 has been compared to find out the emerging trend.
As per the TUS, nearly 12 hrs were spent by both Men and women in self care in the year 2019, the time spent in 2024 for the same has dropped to 11.7hrs for women, 11.8hrs for men.
The high time spent shows both men and women in the country devote greater hours on self care and maintenace.
JOB HOURS UP
The TUS 2024 shows that the job hours in India have been up in the last 5 – year period.
Amid the debate for longer working hours by many corporate, the TUS reveals the time spent by women and men in India in employment.
While women spent an average of 5.7hrs in employment and related activities, men spent over 7.8 hrs.
In the year 2019, the respective time spent was at 5.5hrs and 7.65 hrs.
If the TUS findings are any indication, then men in India had more job hours than women.
MEN PARTYING TIME DOWN
The TUS 2024 shows men in India have cut down their time spent on socialising, community participation and religious practice.
The TUS finds that men in India spent 2.3 hrs on socialising activities in 2024 as against 2.45 hrs in 2019.
However, the same remains unchanged for women. The TUS find that women in Indian were spending nearly 2.3hr on socialising activities in 2024, the same the spent in 2019.
FAMILY CARE TAKES A KNOCKDOWN
The TUS finds that men in India are now devoting less time in rendering care services to household members.
It says men in India now spending 1.25hrs on taking care of their household members, however, the women in India are now spending nearly 2.3 hrs for taking care of family members – marginally up from 2019.
In case of men, the minutes spent were marginally down.
MEN LEISURE TIME UP SHARPLY
The TUS throws light on how much time men spent on leisure, sports activities vis-a-vis the women.
As per the survey, in 2019, men spent 2.7hrs on leisure/sports activities. In 2024, the hours spent were up 2.95hrs.
When it comes to women, the time spent fell marginally to 2.7 hrs in 2024.
