NEW DELHI: Childcare and household chores keep around 69% women out of the labour force in India’s top 46 cities with million-plus population, highlighting the gender-bias in nature of care work even among the more affluent areas of the country, a new National Statistics Office survey has shown.The survey on labour market indicators for the large cities, first reported by TOI on Tuesday, showed that just 1% of the women cited “social reasons” for being out of the labour force, although the report did not elaborate on it.In contrast, 1% of men cited childcare and household work as the reason for being out of the labour force.India has among the lowest female labour force participation rates among the world’s major economies, estimated at 30.7% in 2025, although it has shown an upward trend in recent years.’Women earn 23% less than men in big cities’Within the country, the trends vary across cities. For instance, 83% women in Howrah cited childcare and household chores as the reason for being out of the labour force, followed by Surat (81%), Pimpri Chinchwad and Bhopal (78%), and Dhanbad (77%). In Coimbatore (38%), the share was much lower, as was the case in Agra (41%), Kota (57%), Hyderabad (58%), and Visakhapatnam and Srinagar (60%).There were other reasons cited as well. For instance, 16% opted out as they wanted to pursue further studies, and 10% attributed staying out of the labour force to health and age-related factors.Among men, more than half (53%) attributed higher studies as the reason for not being part of the labour force, followed by health and age-related reasons (39%).The survey also showed the quality of work for women improved in the large cities as compared to other urban areas: 65% reported salaried employment compared with 51% in urban areas, wh-ile 3% reported casual work, as against 9% in urban areas.However, these cities which enjoy a wage premium reflected the gender inequality in wages too. While a salaried male earned Rs 30,700 a month in million-plus cities, a female earned Rs 23,700 – 23% lower. This gap was more pronounced in the case of cities such as Kalyan-Dombivli, Navi Mumbai and Nagpur, where women earned nearly half as much as their male counterparts. Prayagraj seemed to defy the trend, with women shown to be earning more than men.In case of self-employm-ent, men (Rs 33,880) had over double the monthly earnings of women (Rs 16,160).Workers in million-plus cities on average worked for 49.5 hours a week compared with 47.1 hours in urban India. Both male and female workers in million-plus cities reported higher average ho-urs than those in urban India.Women with salaried jobs in Rajkot (51.5 hours), followed by Faridabad (50 hours) clocked in the maximum time at the workplace.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Super Emergency’: TMC Claims Police Barricaded Mamata Banerjee’s House Before Baruipur VisitBadrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Forms 4-Member Panel To Probe Donation Irregularity ClaimsMumbai Monsoon Horror: 63-Year-Old Dies After Tree Falls On ShopCentre Denies Reports That Bhutan Rejected India’s E20 Petrol ProposalPoJK Protesters Seek Help From India’s Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh Regions Amid Pakistan’s CrackdownPrashant Kishor To Finally Contest Bankipur Bypoll, Jan Suraaj Names Founder As CandidateWhy Did China Reacted Sharply To Japan PM Sanae Takaichi’s India Visit?Govt Cracks Down on Meta Over Alleged Child Sexual Abuse-Linked Instagram Ads, Seeks Reply in 7 DaysMamata Reassumes TMC Leadership As Dilip Ghosh Claims Party Is Crumbling Amid ResignationsWhy Adani’s $1.4 Billion Vizhinjam Port Stake Sale To MSC Has Triggered A Political Row123PhotostoriesIs it normal forgetfulness or Alzheimer’s disease? Doctor reveals the warning signs you should never ignoreSonam Kapoor’s Punit Balana look had more drama than Anshula Kapoor’s mehendi playlist, and we loved every bit of itTop 5 most active dog breeds5 grasslands in India where the monsoon feels magical5 things to expect at India’s widest waterfall during the monsoonHigh cholesterol often has no symptoms, says AHA: These 10 guidelines could help protect your heartPersonality test: Only the first thing you notice in this illusion reveals your true hidden strengthAamir Khan weds Gauri Spratt: Before saying ‘I Do,’ Aamir Khan dropped these 5 surprisingly honest quotes on loveFrom Krushna Abhishek’s California house to Vicky Jain’s Rs 50 crore home: Celebrities who own several luxurious properties5 best hair oils for frizzy locks during monsoon that actually tame humidity123Hot PicksNHL Trade RumorHarrison ButkerTaylor and Travis Wedding PhotosIndia Passport Ranking SlipsBSUSC applicationsMumbai rainDelhi MurderBrittany MahomesTrumpTop TrendingNHL TradeDelhi rainBrittany MahomesFIFA World Cup 2026Mamata BanerjeeBengaluru Capgemini DaycareKetan AgarwalFrance FIFA World CupNFL Trade RumorVozinha
NEW DELHI: Childcare and household chores keep around 69% women out of the labour force in India’s top 46 cities with million-plus population, highlighting the gender-bias in nature of care work even among the more affluent areas of the country, a new National Statistics Office survey has shown.The survey on labour market indicators for the large cities, first reported by TOI on Tuesday, showed that just 1% of the women cited “social reasons” for being out of the labour force, although the report did not elaborate on it.In contrast, 1% of men cited childcare and household work as the reason for being out of the labour force.India has among the lowest female labour force participation rates among the world’s major economies, estimated at 30.7% in 2025, although it has shown an upward trend in recent years.
‘Women earn 23% less than men in big cities’
Within the country, the trends vary across cities. For instance, 83% women in Howrah cited childcare and household chores as the reason for being out of the labour force, followed by Surat (81%), Pimpri Chinchwad and Bhopal (78%), and Dhanbad (77%). In Coimbatore (38%), the share was much lower, as was the case in Agra (41%), Kota (57%), Hyderabad (58%), and Visakhapatnam and Srinagar (60%).There were other reasons cited as well. For instance, 16% opted out as they wanted to pursue further studies, and 10% attributed staying out of the labour force to health and age-related factors.Among men, more than half (53%) attributed higher studies as the reason for not being part of the labour force, followed by health and age-related reasons (39%).The survey also showed the quality of work for women improved in the large cities as compared to other urban areas: 65% reported salaried employment compared with 51% in urban areas, wh-ile 3% reported casual work, as against 9% in urban areas.However, these cities which enjoy a wage premium reflected the gender inequality in wages too. While a salaried male earned Rs 30,700 a month in million-plus cities, a female earned Rs 23,700 – 23% lower. This gap was more pronounced in the case of cities such as Kalyan-Dombivli, Navi Mumbai and Nagpur, where women earned nearly half as much as their male counterparts. Prayagraj seemed to defy the trend, with women shown to be earning more than men.In case of self-employm-ent, men (Rs 33,880) had over double the monthly earnings of women (Rs 16,160).Workers in million-plus cities on average worked for 49.5 hours a week compared with 47.1 hours in urban India. Both male and female workers in million-plus cities reported higher average ho-urs than those in urban India.Women with salaried jobs in Rajkot (51.5 hours), followed by Faridabad (50 hours) clocked in the maximum time at the workplace.
