Family & Society

How much unpaid care work do married women perform compared with married men in Pakistan?

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Answer

Direct answer

The 2024–25 Labour Force Survey introduced direct unpaid domestic and care measures. Analysis of its data reports women averaging 15.3 hours per week and men 6.8 hours, a gap of 8.5 hours. That published comparison is sex-based and should not be relabeled as a married-women-versus-married-men estimate unless the marital-status tabulation is shown. PIDE research likewise documents women’s disproportionate non-market work. Marriage, children and joint residence can change the burden, but the exact married-couple split requires a dedicated cross-tabulation.

8.5 hoursreported weekly gender gap in unpaid domestic and care work
Evidence

Sources used

surveyAnalysis · 2026

Unpaid Domestic and Care Work from Labour Force Survey 2024–25

Gallup Pakistan analysis of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data

Analysis of official LFS 2024–25 data reporting weekly unpaid domestic and care hours by sex.View source
Academic Research · 2024

Recognising and Reducing Women’s Unpaid Care Work in Pakistan

Pakistan Institute of Development Economics

Policy research summarizing women’s disproportionate non-market and care work in Pakistan.View source
Government Data · 2021

Labour Force Statistics

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Official labour-force source covering activity, employment, sex, age, marital status and education variables.View source
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