- Record Allocation: ₹4,49,028.68 crore allocated to the Gender Budget (GB), a 37.3% increase from FY24.
- Percentage of Total Budget: GB constitutes 8.86% of the total Union Budget 2025.
- Primary Driver: Increase due to inclusion of PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (24% of GB), rather than investments in care infrastructure or gender-responsive schemes.
- Missed Opportunity: Despite emphasis on care economy in Economic Surveys 2023-24 and 2024-25, tangible investments in care infrastructure remain absent.
Relevance : GS 2(Social Issues) , GS 3(Indian Economy)
Unpaid Care and Domestic Work (UCDW) – A Gendered Burden
- Global Average: Women spend 17.8% of their time on unpaid care and domestic work.
- India’s Disproportionate Burden: Indian women shoulder 40% more UCDW than their counterparts in South Africa and China.
- Labour Force Impact:
- 53% of Indian women remain out of the workforce due to care responsibilities, compared to 1.1% of men (ILO data).
- Women in low-income households juggle 17–19 hours of daily tasks, leading to ‘time poverty’ and deteriorating well-being.
Structural Challenges in the Global South
- Broader Scope of UCDW: Involves household care, farm work, water and fuel collection, cleaning, cooking.
- Time Burden:
- Women spend five hours daily collecting water vs. 1.5 hours for men.
- 73% of their time spent on unpaid work due to poor infrastructure.
- Climate Change Impact:
- Water-related unpaid labour in India projected to cost $1.4 billion by 2050 (high-emissions scenario).
- Exacerbated by low public investment and rigid social norms.
Proposed Solutions & Policy Imperatives
Recognise Care Work
- Economic Survey 2023-24:
- Public investment equivalent to 2% of GDP could create 11 million jobs while reducing care burden.
- ‘Three R Framework’: Recognise, Reduce, Redistribute, Represent.
- Time-Use Survey 2019:
- Revealed women spend 7 hours daily on UCDW.
- Solution: Integrate Time-use modules into existing household surveys.
Reduce UCDW Burden
- Infrastructure & Technology:
- Time-saving technologies and expanded access to affordable care services.
- Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM):
- Extended till 2028 to achieve 100% potable water coverage.
- Challenges: 4.51% decline in budget allocation; only half of villages have functional tap connections.
- Need for stronger implementation and water sustainability measures.
- Expansion of childcare centres, eldercare support, and assistive technologies to boost women’s workforce participation.
Redistribute Care Work
- From Home to State & Market:
- Urban Challenge Fund (₹1 lakh crore) → ₹10,000 crore allocated for FY 2025-26.
- Can finance up to 25% of bankable projects in urban redevelopment, water, sanitation.
- Smart Cities Mission: Leverage funds to scale up pilot care models like Bogotá’s Care Blocks (centralised care hubs).
Strengthen Women’s Representation
- Policy Inclusion: Women’s participation in decision-making increases effectiveness by 6-7 times.
- Need for Gender-Sensitive Economic Strategy:
- India must move beyond symbolic ‘Nari Shakti’ rhetoric.
- Budget must prioritise care work as a central pillar of inclusive economic growth.
