Gender Budget 2025: A Critical Analysis

The Union Budget 2025 has allocated a record ₹4,49,028.68 crore to the Gender Budget (GB), marking a 37.3% increase from the previous fiscal year and accounting for 8.86% of the total Budget. However, a closer examination reveals that this increase is primarily due to the inclusion of the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (24% of GB), rather than substantial investments in care infrastructure or gender-responsive schemes.

Despite the Economic Surveys of 2023-24 and 2024-25 emphasizing care infrastructure as a key factor in women’s empowerment, the current Budget fails to make tangible investments in this sector. This underscores the continued invisibility of care work in India’s economic planning, limiting women’s participation in the workforce.

The Burden of Unpaid Care and Domestic Work (UCDW)

• Global Scenario: On average, women spend 17.8% of their time on unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW). The burden is higher in the Global South.

• India’s Situation: Indian women spend 40% more time on unpaid care work than women in South Africa and China.

• Labour Force Participation:

  • 53% of Indian women remain outside the labour force due to care responsibilities.

  • Only 1.1% of men cite care work as a reason for staying out of the workforce.

• Impact on Poor and Marginalized Women:

  • Women in low-income families juggle 17–19 hours of daily tasks.

  • This leads to ‘time poverty’, affecting their physical and mental well-being.

Structural Factors Exacerbating the Burden

• Broader Unpaid Work in the Global South:

  • Beyond caregiving, women in the Global South engage in family farming, water and fuel collection, and domestic chores.

• Infrastructure Deficiencies:

  • Due to limited access to water, clean energy, and sanitation, women spend up to 73% of their time on unpaid care activities.

  • Women in India spend nearly 5 hours daily collecting water, while men spend only 1.5 hours.

• Climate Change Impact:

  • Water-related unpaid labour in India is projected to reach $1.4 billion by 2050 under a high-emissions scenario.

  • Low public investment in care infrastructure worsens this crisis.

The Way Forward: Addressing the Care Economy

1. Recognizing the Full Spectrum of UCDW

• The 2019 Time Use Survey revealed that Indian women spend an average of seven hours daily on UCDW.

• Despite its policy relevance, conducting such surveys is costly.

• A practical solution is integrating Time-use modules into existing household surveys.

2. Reducing the UCDW Burden Through Infrastructure and Technology

• Investment in Time-Saving Infrastructure:

  • Expanding access to safe water, clean energy, sanitation, and affordable childcare.

  • The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has been extended until 2028 to ensure 100% potable water coverage.

  • However, funding delays and underutilization have hindered implementation.

• Budget Allocation Concerns:

  • The JJM Budget declined by 4.51% from last year’s Budget Estimates (BE).

  • However, it saw a 195% increase over Revised Estimates (RE), highlighting allocation-spending mismatches.

• Policy Recommendations:

  • Strengthening JJM’s implementation framework.

  • Ensuring sustainable water management for long-term impact.

3. Redistributing Care Work Across Households and the State

• Care work must be shifted from individual households to the State.

• Urban Challenge Fund (₹1 lakh crore):

  • ₹10,000 crore allocated for FY 2025-26.

  • Will finance up to 25% of bankable projects.

  • Encourages public-private partnerships in urban redevelopment, water supply, and sanitation.

• Learning from Global Models:

  • Bogotá’s Care Blocks centralize caregiving services to reduce women’s unpaid work.

  • India can integrate similar models into the Smart Cities Mission.

4. Increasing Women’s Representation in Decision-Making

• Gender-Sensitive Governance:

  • Women’s participation in decision-making and policy implementation ensures better-targeted policies.

• Impact of Women’s Involvement:

  • Studies show that policies designed with women's input are 6–7 times more effective.

• Addressing Policy Gaps:

  • Without women’s representation, policies remain disconnected from real-life gender disparities.

Conclusion: A Missed Opportunity for Gender-Inclusive Growth

• The government emphasizes Nari Shakti as a driver of economic growth.

• However, the 2025 Budget fails to prioritize care work as a core element of economic planning.

• Unpaid care work remains a major barrier to women's economic participation.

• For true gender-inclusive development, India must adopt a comprehensive care economy strategy that:

  • Recognizes, reduces, and redistributes care work.

  • Ensures women’s representation in governance and policy-making.

  • Strengthens infrastructure investment to reduce time poverty.

• Implementing these measures will boost women’s workforce participation and lead to sustainable and inclusive economic growth.