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Norms that matter: Exploring the distribution of women's work between income generation, expenditure-saving, and unpaid domestic responsibilities in India

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  • Ashwini Deshpande
  • Naila Kabeer

Abstract

Based on primary data from India, this paper analyses the reasons underlying women's low labour force participation. In developing countries, women engaged in unpaid economic work in family enterprises are often not counted as workers. Women are involved in expenditure-saving activities, i.e. productive work within the family, over and above domestic chores and care work. We document the fuzziness of the boundary between domestic and unpaid (and therefore invisible) productive work which leads to mismeasurement of women's work.

Suggested Citation

  • Ashwini Deshpande & Naila Kabeer, 2021. "Norms that matter: Exploring the distribution of women's work between income generation, expenditure-saving, and unpaid domestic responsibilities in India," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-130, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2021-130
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Sukti Dasgupta, 2024. "The Political Economy of Care: A Developmental Perspective," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 67(3), pages 615-636, September.
    3. Alaref, Jumana Jamal Subhi & Patil, Aishwarya Shivaji & Rahman, Tasmia & Munoz Boudet, Ana Maria, 2024. "Women’s Labor Force Participation in Nepal : An Exploration of The Role of Social Norms," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10810, The World Bank.
    4. Bhattacharya, Leena & Van Soest, Arthur, 2025. "Education, Patriarchy, and Time Allocations of Married Couples," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1680, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Ashwini Deshpande & Jitendra Singh, 2021. "Dropping Out, Being Pushed out or Can't Get In? Decoding Declining Labour Force Participation of Indian Women," Working Papers 65, Ashoka University, Department of Economics.
    6. Aliyu Alhaji Abubakar, 2025. "Unveiling the cultural tapestry: exploring gender dynamics in embracing digital technology brands among the Y Generation in Saudi Arabia: a social structure theory and luxury value model perspective," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 1-24, December.
    7. Arun Jose & Meghna Dutta, 2024. "Held back by homes: effects of domestic work on occupational choices of women in India," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 559-599, December.
    8. Rosa Abraham & Nishat Anjum & Rahul Lahoti & Hema Swaminathan, 2024. "What did they say? Respondent identity, question framing, and the measurement of employment," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2024-64, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    9. Jajati Keshari Parida & Shiba Shankar Pattayat & Sher Verick, 2023. "Why is the size of discouraged labour force increasing in India?," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 56(5), pages 3601-3630, October.
    10. Jafarov, Jafar & Singh, Tejendra P. & Sahoo, Soham, 2023. "Air Pollution and Time Use: Evidence from India," IZA Discussion Papers 16552, IZA Network @ LISER.
    11. Deboshmita Brahma, 2024. "Time poverty and consumption poverty in India: a study through the lens of gender," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 285-310, June.
    12. Chiplunkar,Gaurav & Tatjana Kleineberg, 2025. "Gender Barriers, Structural Transformation, and Economic Development," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11083, The World Bank.
    13. Swati Srivastava & Kaushalendra Kumar & Lotus McDougal & Ashish Kumar Upadhyay & Katherine Hay & Abhishek Singh, 2025. "Mapping women’s work in India: An application of small area estimation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(2), pages 1-40, February.
    14. Deshpande, Ashwini & Singh, Jitendra, 2024. "The Demand-Side Story: Structural Change and the Decline in Female Labour Force Participation in India," IZA Discussion Papers 17368, IZA Network @ LISER.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J40 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - General
    • B54 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Feminist Economics

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