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We use rich time-use data on where, and how, individuals spend their time to explore women’s seclusion in India. We document extremely high levels of seclusion with the median woman leaving home for just 0.5 hours/day. Seclusion has increased markedly over the past two decades, particularly amongst poorer and less-educated women, although richer and more-educated women remain the most secluded. Both between- and within-activity differences in seclusion contribute to the gender gap and, within market work, women specialize in jobs suitable for homeworking but these are lower paid. Our findings suggest households are willing to pay for women’s seclusion.
Authors

Research Fellow
Alison is a Senior Research Economist of our Institute with research interests in the economics of gender, marriage and education.

PhD Scholar
Andrea is a PhD candidate at University College London, and a Phd Fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Working Paper details
- DOI
- 10.1920/wp.ifs.2024.3924
- Publisher
- Institute for Fiscal Studies
Suggested citation
Andrew, A and Smurra, A. (2024). Seclusion and women's time: Descriptive evidence from India. 24/39. London: Institute for Fiscal Studies. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/seclusion-and-womens-time-descriptive-evidence-india (accessed: 9 February 2025).
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