Context:

• Periodic Labour Force Surveys (PLFS) indicate a rise in overall employment, especially self-employment, among rural women since 2017-18.
• A significant portion of these women are engaged as helpers in home-based enterprises.
• The increase in women’s economic participation raises the question of how they are reallocating their time.

Women’s Domestic Work and Time Use Patterns:

• The 2019 Time Use Survey of India highlights that women spend a majority of their time on cooking.
• A survey in rural Indore (MP) found that women spend over 60 hours per week on domestic work, with 40+ hours dedicated to cooking and cleaning.
• 75% of rural women rely on firewood and cow dung for cooking, which increases time consumption and health risks due to smoke inhalation.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) and Time Savings

• LPG access significantly reduces the time spent on cooking and fuel collection.
• For example, fuel collection time is reduced:
  • Dung collection: 70 minutes/week saved.
  • Firewood collection: 10 minutes/week saved.
  • Other domestic chores: 20 minutes/day saved.
• Total daily time saving amounts to approximately 30 minutes. This means, households using LPG take 30 minutes less to prepare meals compared to those relying on solid fuels.

Impact on Women’s Labour Force Participation:

• Despite time savings, there is no significant increase in income-generating activities among women with LPG access.
• The saved time is predominantly reallocated to leisure (20 minutes/day).
• Reasons for low labour force participation:
  • Fuel collection is not a daily task, so time savings are not substantial.
  • 20-30 minutes of saved time is insufficient for full-time employment.
  • Lack of skilled or well-paying job opportunities in rural areas.
    • For example, access to manufacturing or service-sector jobs, which give higher returns and increase the opportunity cost of women’s domestic work, is almost absent in most rural areas.
  • Rural female employment rate remains low (15%), mostly in agricultural self-employment.
  • Low financial incentive for households to shift entirely to LPG.

Challenges in Regular LPG Usage:

• PMUY has increased LPG connections, but regular usage remains low due to:
  • Mixed-fuel cooking practices.
  • Low refill rates (average annual usage of 3 cylinders vs. the required 12 for full dependency).
  • Decision-making regarding LPG refills is often in the hands of men, reducing women’s bargaining power.

Recent Trends in Women’s Employment:

• 2024 Time Use Survey shows:
  • 1.5 percentage point increase in women’s employment since 2019.
  • Women now spend 24 minutes more on employment activities.
• However, the reason for a 20-percentage point rise in women’s self-employment (2017-18 to 2023-24) remains unclear.
• Further granular data is needed to assess whether the rise is due to real changes or methodological adjustments in PLFS surveys.

Conclusion:

• LPG access improves women’s welfare but does not significantly boost employment participation.
• Structural issues such as lack of job opportunities, low skill levels, and gender-based decision-making barriers hinder meaningful economic empowerment.
• Addressing these barriers requires policy interventions beyond clean cooking initiatives, including skill development and increased access to flexible, well-paying jobs for rural women.