According to a survey by Avtar – a diversity, equity and inclusion consulting portal, 35 per cent of men began contributing more time to household chores after the pandemic. The study on chore division and dynamics in Indian households reveals a 22 per cent increase in the number of men who spent 4-5 hours performing chores at home. This is a clear sign that the burden of performing these tasks, which otherwise was the sole responsibility of women, is now beginning to get shared. Over 300 professionals from metro cities, and tier-II and tier-III locations were surveyed on their contribution to the 3Cs – cooking, cleaning, and caring.
However, the inequalities are still quite stark, especially for working women. Among double-income couples too there is an unequal distribution of time spent on household chores. Among married respondents, 33 per cent of women spent 4-5 hours per day on such activities versus 3 per cent men. Age demographics have a big role to play. Up to 83 per cent of the Gen Y population spend equal time in household chores along with their partners. However, only 56 per cent of Gen X spend the same time in such activities, which were shared equally with their partners. The report further showed that 91 per cent of the respondents with children said that household chores are not divided based on gender in their homes.