Influence of Individual and Household Characteristics on Unpaid Work of Women – An Exposition of the Case of Malayali Women

Abstract

Purpose : The amount of time that women in Malayali families spend working for free each day took on importance when considering Kerala’s lower rate of female labor force participation despite the state’s accomplishments in social development, gender-neutral health and education outcomes, and exposure to matrilineal systems. This made it necessary to examine how family and individual traits affected the unpaid labor that Malayali women performed.

Methodology : The purpose of the time-use survey was to calculate the average number of hours that men and women work without compensation each day. Taking into account the influence of culture in defining women's unpaid labor, the sample consisted of ninety-one female Malayalam-speaking individuals. The chi-squared test was utilized to determine the attributes that affected women's unpaid labor.

Findings : The average number of unpaid hours worked by women in Malayali households was higher than that of men. Personal traits, including educational background and earning capacity, decreased women's unpaid labor. Women's unpaid labor was lessened by household features like the availability of necessities and male members sharing unpaid labor.

Practical Implications : The problem would be resolved by workplace nap areas, senior care facilities, social security protection, paid sick days, paid maternity and paternity breaks, etc. There appeared to be plenty of room for the care economy to expand, given its reliance on market-based care services and the demand for payment for unpaid labor.

Originality : The present study proved that there is a gender gap in unpaid labor among Malayali families. The study's conclusions indicated that there was great potential for a thriving care economy.