Monday Musing
[ M Doley ]
Curious about how the people of Arunachal Pradesh spent their time in 2024? Here is a brief report. They spent more time on unpaid activities than on paid activities.
According to the latest Time Use Survey [TUS] report released by the government, the females spent more time on unpaid activities, with more than 90% of them spending 466 minutes daily, whereas 69.6% of the males spent an average of 110 minutes daily on such activities.
Females spent an average of 320 minutes daily on unpaid domestic services for household members, compared to just 15 minutes by their male counterparts.
As per the TUS, 79.7% of the people aged 6 years and above in the state spent an average of 281 minutes on unpaid activities per day.
On the other hand, 40.9% of the people spent an average of 139 minutes in a day on paid activities.
The average time spent on employment and related activities were 274 minutes for males and 40 minutes for females.
An average of 111 minutes was spent per day per person on socializing and communication, community participation, and religious practices.
Arunachalis spent 148 minutes on average in a day in activities related to culture, leisure, mass media and sports practices.
The survey further revealed that only 78 minutes on average in a day was spent by a person in learning. However, time spent on self-maintenance was 1,020 minutes per day.
The data reveals a significant gender gap in employment, with less than 10% of females engaged in paid activities, highlighting a substantial disparity compared to their male counterparts.
The findings underscore the need for job creation and supporting women’s participation in the workforce, which can lead to improved economic conditions and enhanced living standards.
The state government as well as the NGOs working for the welfare of women should take note of these findings and provide skill development programmes and vocational training, and offer entrepreneurship opportunities to them.
These initiatives can go a long way in helping the unemployed women to become economically independent, ultimately improving their socioeconomic status.
