A recent study by Finprom.kz, conducted in partnership with the National Statistics Bureau, sheds light on how Kazakhstani citizens allocate their time across work, leisure, and household duties. The findings reveal significant gender disparities that begin in adolescence and continue into adulthood.
Unequal Distribution of Labor at Home
The study was based on data from a modular survey conducted every five years, involving approximately 12,000 respondents nationwide. Participants maintained daily activity logs, including both weekdays and weekends.
On weekdays, men in Kazakhstan work an average of 9 hours and 7 minutes, about an hour longer than women. However, when it comes to household duties and childcare, women spend more than twice as much time: 2 hours and 13 minutes compared to 48 minutes for men. The gap widens on weekends, with women spending 4 hours and 44 minutes on domestic tasks, compared to 1.5 hours for men.
Meanwhile, men spend more time on social media, television, and reading the news, around 1.5 hours on weekdays and nearly 3 hours on weekends. Women engage in these activities roughly an hour less. A similar trend appears in general leisure and relaxation time, where men again lead.
Gender Norms Form Early
Gendered patterns in domestic labor emerge as early as adolescence. Boys aged 10-14 spend about 1 hour and 6 minutes a day on household chores, while girls dedicate 1 hour and 52 minutes. Cooking accounts for a large portion of this difference, with girls spending an average of 44 minutes on meal preparation.
The study also found that parents with higher education levels spend more time with their children, regardless of employment status. Interestingly, unemployed men spend three times less time with their children than employed men, regardless of the day of the week. This correlation was not observed among women.
Despite traditional assumptions, men dedicate nearly as much time to personal care as women. On weekdays, men spend 1 hour and 17 minutes on hygiene and grooming, just 3 minutes less than women. On weekends, they spend even more: 1 hour and 40 minutes, compared to 1 hour and 29 minutes for women. Unemployed men consistently surpass women in this area.
Regional Disparities and Stress
The study highlighted notable regional differences in time use. In North Kazakhstan, residents spend about 1.5 hours daily on cooking and eating, while in Shymkent, the figure is nearly double. Shymkent residents also spend just 8 minutes a day on rest and reflection, compared to over an hour in Mangistau.
Cleaning and laundry take up 1.5 hours a day in Shymkent, one of the highest rates in the country. In contrast, residents of Astana spend just 39 minutes on these tasks.
Screen time also varies significantly. On average, Kazakhs spend 2 hours and 3 minutes daily on digital content. In North and East Kazakhstan, this climbs to 2 hours and 40 minutes. Residents of Almaty, Ulytau, and Shymkent average 2 hours and 14 minutes, while those in Kyzylorda and Mangistau spend the least, 1 hour and 17 minutes, and 1 hour and 21 minutes respectively.
A separate sociological survey by the Kazakhstan Institute for Public Development (KIPD), involving 2,400 respondents, found that 37.8% of women and 32.4% of men feel tired and overworked. Nearly one-quarter of women said they struggle with household management, compared to 16.9% of men.
“Women are more likely to experience fatigue, lack of time, and difficulty managing daily life. This highlights the need for a more equitable distribution of household responsibilities within the family,” the report’s authors concluded.
