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17 August 2026

Gender roles in rural Haryana

The topic provides critical, data-backed insights from the Time Use Survey and PLFS 2025 regarding the structural barriers to female labour force participation, which is a high-priority theme for UPSC Mains.

2 min read 2 questions 2 prelims

Notes

  • India’s Time Use Survey (2025) indicates that gendered division of labour begins in childhood and intensifies during adolescence.
  • At age six, boys and girls spend approximately five minutes daily on domestic and care work; by age 17, girls spend 130 minutes compared to 17 minutes for boys.
  • The girl-to-boy ratio in unpaid work increases from 1.6 (ages 6-9) to 7.5 (ages 15-17).
  • Between ages six and 17, girls experience a significant decline in leisure time (approx. 115 minutes) as domestic work increases.
  • Cooking is the primary driver of the gendered divergence; 42.4% of adolescent girls report cooking compared to 2.9% of boys.
  • Boys are more frequently engaged in 'outward-facing' tasks like farm work and shopping, while girls are trained for 'inward-facing' household tasks.
  • The 2025 Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) identifies childcare and domestic responsibilities as the primary reason for women's absence from the labour force (52.5% of urban women and 40% of rural women).
  • Policy interventions often focus on adult women, but the survey suggests a need to address the unequal assignment of domestic work during childhood through school-based life-skills training.

Questions

  1. The gendered division of labour is a product of early childhood conditioning rather than adult necessity. Discuss the socio-economic implications of this trend on women's labour force participation in India. 150 words
    Attempt this — 150 words in 8 min
    0 / 150 words 8:00
  2. While India has made significant strides in improving educational outcomes for girls, the 'time poverty' resulting from domestic responsibilities remains a critical barrier to their future agency and economic empowerment. Critically examine the role of educational institutions and policy frameworks in addressing the gendered assignment of unpaid work. 250 words
    Attempt this — 250 words in 11 min
    0 / 250 words 11:00

Prelims

  1. According to the India Time Use Survey (2025), what is the primary reason cited by women for remaining outside the labour force?

  2. Which of the following activities shows the highest gender disparity in participation among adolescents aged 15-17 years?

Syllabus

Topics

Sources

250words.in · https://250words.in/daily/2026-08-17/gender-roles-in-rural-haryana