Women in Nigeria spend more than five times the hours men devote to unpaid domestic and care work, according to the Nigeria Time Use Survey 2024 released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday.
The survey, conducted in partnership with UN Women, found that women aged 15 years and above spend an average of 21 per cent of their day, about five hours, on unpaid domestic and care work, compared with just 4.1 per cent, roughly one hour, spent by men.
In practical terms, this means that for every hour Nigerian men spend cooking, cleaning, fetching water or caring for children and the elderly without pay, women spend about five hours doing the same tasks.
The report shows that, on average, Nigerians spend 12.5 per cent of their day, about three hours, on unpaid domestic and care work.
However, this overall figure masks a deep gender imbalance that cuts across location, employment status, wealth levels and states.
Women consistently shoulder the heavier burden in both rural and urban areas, reinforcing long-standing gender roles that leave much of the household and care responsibilities to females.
Breaking the figures down further, the survey reveals that women spend 15.1 per cent of their day on unpaid domestic work such as food preparation, cleaning, laundry, shopping and fetching water, compared with 2.9 per cent for men.
On unpaid care work, which includes caring for children, the sick, the elderly and persons with disabilities, women devote 5.9 per cent of their day, while men spend just 1.2 per cent.
“The result further reveals that women spent 5.9 per cent of their day compared to 1.2 per cent by men in unpaid care services.
“Also, in unpaid domestic work, women spent a higher time, 15.1 per cent, compared to men with 2.9 per cent. In all, women spent five times the hours that men spent on unpaid domestic and care work in the four surveyed states,” the report read.
Location also plays a major role.
Rural women spend a higher proportion of their time on unpaid domestic and care work than their urban counterparts.
In rural areas, women spend about 24.1 per cent of their day, close to six hours, on unpaid work, compared with 19.8 per cent, nearly five hours, for women in urban areas.
Rural men spend about 3.7 per cent of their day on unpaid work, slightly lower than the 4.3 per cent recorded for urban men.
The survey attributes this to limited access to basic infrastructure, such as water, energy, and childcare services, in rural communities, which increases the time women must spend on household chores.
The disparities are also evident across the four states covered by the survey. Women in Borno State spend the highest proportion of time on unpaid domestic and care work, at 25.1 per cent of their day, while women in Lagos spend the least, at 17.7 per cent.
Among men, those in Cross River State spend the most time on unpaid work, at 5.6 per cent of their day, while men in Borno spend the least, at 2.4 per cent.
For unpaid care work specifically, both men and women in Kaduna State recorded the highest time spent, with women devoting about 9 per cent of their day and men 1.7 per cent.
Employment status does little to close the gap. The report shows that people who are not working spend more time on unpaid domestic and care work than those who are employed.
Non-working women spend about 23 per cent of their day on unpaid work, compared with 20.2 per cent for working women.
Among men, non-working individuals spend about 5.8 per cent of their day on unpaid work, compared with 3.7 per cent for working men. Regardless of whether they are employed or not, women consistently spend far more time than men on unpaid activities.
Beyond unpaid work, the survey provides a broader picture of how Nigerians allocate their time.
Men participate more in paid, market-related activities classified under the System of National Accounts, with 80.3 per cent of men engaged in such activities compared with 73.7 per cent of women.
Men also spend more time on these activities, averaging about 373 minutes per day, while women spend about 234 minutes.
In contrast, women dominate non-market, unpaid productive activities, with a participation rate of 97.1 per cent compared with 66.6 per cent for men, and they spend nearly four times as many minutes as men on these tasks.
The report also highlights differences in learning activities. Men spend more time on learning, averaging 46.1 minutes per day, compared with 31.5 minutes for women.
This gap persists in both rural and urban areas and reflects the time constraints faced by women due to heavy domestic and care responsibilities. Although both men and women spend significant portions of their day on personal and leisure activities such as sleeping, socialising and religious practices, men still spend more time than women in these categories.
The survey was conducted across Borno, Cross River, Kaduna and Lagos states during both wet and dry seasons, covering 3,600 households and collecting data from 6,431 individuals aged 15 years and above.
It followed international standards under the International Classification of Activities for Time Use Statistics to ensure comparability and reliability of results. While the survey is not nationally representative, the NBS said it provides critical insights into everyday life across diverse socio-economic and cultural contexts in Nigeria.
According to the Statistician-General of the Federation, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, the findings make visible the often-overlooked contributions of unpaid domestic and care work, which sustain households and communities but are largely excluded from traditional economic statistics.
He said,” The findings highlight the unequal burden of unpaid domestic and care work, which falls disproportionately on women, and reveal how time is divided among productive work, learning, leisure, and personal care.
“By making visible the often-overlooked contributions that sustain households and communities, this report provides evidence to inform more inclusive and gender-responsive policies.
“It also advances Nigeria’s commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG Indicator 5.4.1 on unpaid care and domestic work.”
WARNING: If You Are Not 18+, Don’t Click The Link Below 👇🫣
https://troubleduseful.com/u36k6hvh?key=9d5a995551042f49ca200d04746b52ad
Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it.
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.
Never Miss A Single News Or Gist, Kindly Join Us On WhatsApp Channel:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vad8g81Eawdsio6INn3B
Telegram Channel:
https://t.me/gistsmateNG
