We investigated how adolescents’ time allocation across daily activities influences their body mass index and well-being by paying explicit attention to gender and activities relevant to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We hypothesized that the inequitable domestic burden shouldered by girls adversely affects their health and well-being. Using data from three waves of the Young Lives Longitudinal Survey (2009, 2013, and 2016) tracking 1891 children aged 8, 12, and 15 from predominantly rural, low-income households from South India, we analyzed gendered time use patterns and their implications. Girls spent more time on caregiving, housework, and studying at home, while boys allocated more time to school, leisure, and sleep. Random effects models revealed that time spent on caregiving and housework increased the likelihood of being overweight or obese among girls, whereas leisure time reduced it. Time in school was positively associated with girl’s thinness, as was time spent on sleep for both boys and girls. Gender moderated the effects of time spent on housework and unpaid economic tasks on thinness, reducing its likelihood for girls. Subjective well-being improved with time spent in school and studying for all adolescents. Fixed effects models revealed it worsened for girls engaged in paid work and boys engaged in leisure. Longer sleep hours improved boys’ well-being. These findings underscore that gendered time use patterns, particularly girls’ unequal burden of domestic responsibilities, contribute to their increased risk of overweight and obesity. Addressing these disparities is crucial for improving adolescents’ health and well-being in resource-poor settings in LMICs.
This book provides a comprehensive analysis of India’s social and economic transformation in the decades leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic and explores both resilience and vulnerabilities in Indian society.
It provides an in-depth look into diverse aspects of how Indians live, earn a living and care for their children by examining vital indicators such as poverty, malnutrition, health and marriage and family relationships, among others. Analysing the data from the India Human Development Surveys, it presents a complex picture of India’s transformation and large economic and educational gains, while exploring the reasons why these have not translated into social transformation of a similar magnitude. The volume also describes the backdrop against which the COVID-19 pandemic crippled the Indian economy. In effect, it foreshadows the challenges that need to be addressed on the road to recovery. It argues that in order to reduce the scarring and ensure recovery for all, it will be important to focus on the underlying conditions faced by the most vulnerable sections of the Indian society as policymakers seek to effectively tend to issues of socio-economic inequality and marginalisation in the long run.
Rich in data and analysis, this book will be useful for scholars and researchers of economics, political economy, sociology and development studies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1| India’s Social and Economic Transformation
Pallavi Choudhuri, Sonalde Desai, Amaresh Dubey
Chapter 2| Why Did Poverty Decline in India?
Carlos Felipe Balcázar, Sonalde Desai, Rinku Murgai, Ambar Narayan
Chapter 3 | Do Income and Income Inequality Have Any Impact on Morbidity? Evidence From the India Human Development Survey
Sohini Paul
Chapter 4| Excess Weight in India
Pushkar Maitra, Nidhiya Menon
Chapter 5 | Does the Growing Private Sector Deliver Schooling for All? Role of Gender, Parental Altruism and Family Wealth
Pushkar Maitra, Sarmistha Pal, Anurag Sharma
Chapter 6 | Private Schooling in India
Suvarna Pande, Amaresh Dubey
Chapter 7| Expectations of Support From Daughters in India
Abhijit Visaria
Chapter 8| Are the Young and the Educated More Likely to Have “Love” Than Arranged Marriage?
Manjistha Banerji
Chapter 9| The Impact of Household Membership in Community-Based Organisations on Child Health and Education in Rural India
Mugdha Vaidya, Meghna Katoch Rana, Nabanita Datta Gupta
The two decades since the passage of the act have seen tremendous changes
The year 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The programme design, resulting from a unique collaboration between bureaucrats and civil society, reflects a rights-based approach where 100 days of manual labour are to be provided to any rural household. It is the largest government programme with its budget reflecting 17% of the total budget for centrally sponsored schemes.
While the dominant patterns of migration for livelihood among the poor in India are rural-to-rural and circular, literature on the health implications of child migration has largely focused on rural-to-urban, permanent movement. We compared child growth across three migration typologies rural Bihar: circular migrant families that repeatedly migrate to rural destination sites with accompanying young children, rural households with male migrants, and rural households that do not engage in migration. We integrated network theory based on caste and tribe geography to inform our analytical approach. Our results demonstrate complex associations between nutrition status and repeated movement of children between home and destination spaces. In addition to the policy imperative of multilocational strategies for migrant families, households that do not engage in migration yet are located in high outmigration regions also require targeted livelihood and health interventions.
Of the four key areas that define women’s empowerment, personal efficacy, power in intra-household negotiations, societal engagement, and access to income-generating activities, we see improvements in the first three domains. In contrast, the fourth — access to employment — has stagnated.
