Join leisure enthusiasts Kripa Koshy and Rijesh Paniker for a vibrant discussion on the challenges Indian women face in enjoying leisure time. They dive into the stark gender disparities amplified by domestic responsibilities. The conversation also touches on cultural perceptions of self-care versus community obligations, emphasizing the importance of leisure for well-being. Economic factors, like the Shakti scheme, are scrutinized for their impact on women’s access to leisure. Discover the call for societal change and how leaders can help enhance recreational opportunities!
Women in India face significant barriers to leisure time due to overwhelming unpaid domestic responsibilities and societal expectations.
Cultural perceptions often undermine the value of leisure for women, leading to fragmented experiences that complicate genuine relaxation.
Deep dives
Disparities in Time Allocation
Significant disparities exist in how men and women in India allocate their time, especially concerning paid and unpaid work. Women, on average, spend about five hours and 33 minutes on paid work daily, compared to over seven hours for men, indicating a gender gap in formal labor participation. However, the gap widens dramatically when considering unpaid domestic work and caregiving, with women dedicating nearly 20% of their day to these responsibilities. This reality raises important questions about women's access to leisure time amidst these competing demands on their time.
Defining Leisure and Productivity
Leisure is defined as time free from work or obligations, meant for relaxation, enjoyment, or socializing. The podcast explores how traditional societal definitions of productivity can trap individuals, particularly women, into feeling that their leisure time must also be productive. Personal leisure activities often involve social elements, such as spending time with friends, engaging in group games, or volunteering, which can complicate the definition of leisure itself. The discussion emphasizes the need to disentangle leisure from the relentless pursuit of productivity to better appreciate its value.
Quality vs. Quantity of Leisure Time
While men and women reportedly spend a similar amount of time on leisure activities, the quality of that time may differ significantly. Women's leisure activities often overlap with domestic responsibilities, leading to a fragmented experience that questions whether those moments can be classified as true leisure. For example, engaging with entertainment while performing chores, like watching TV while cooking, raises concerns about the effectiveness of their leisure time. This fragmentation complicates the genuine benefit of leisure for women, as their downtime may still be intertwined with their unpaid labor.
Cultural Perceptions of Leisure and Agency
Cultural perceptions heavily influence how leisure is valued and pursued, particularly for women. In many contexts, leisure is viewed skeptically, often perceived as 'wasting time,' especially for those in rural settings where labor responsibilities dominate. Despite a lack of leisure time, some women express a sense of agency and fulfillment in their work, which can hinder the appreciation for personal leisure. Furthermore, societal norms often drive women to prioritize family responsibilities over personal pleasure, complicating efforts to carve out and enjoy leisure time.
At a time when the labor force participation of women in India continues to lag significantly behind that of men, is a woman’s participation in leisure a challenge? Leisure enthusiasts, Kripa Koshy, Rijesh Paniker, and Shreya Ramakrishnan discuss. What do the women in your life do for leisure? Do you think leisure is necessary? Write to us at contact@takshashila.org.in. Books mentioned in this episode include ‘Why Loiter’ and ‘The Many Lives of Syeda X : The Story of an Unknown Indian’.
All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.
The Takshashila Institution has designed the 'Technopolitik: A Technology Geopolitics Survey' to understand and assess what people think about how India should navigate high-tech geopolitics. Please take this 5-minute survey at the following link: https://bit.ly/technopolitik_survey
Find out more on our research and other work here: https://takshashila.org.in/
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