Do Parents’ Time Allocation Decisions Matter? Parental Caregiving and Child Labour in India

Abstract Book of the 10th World Conference on Social Sciences

Year: 2026

[PDF]

Do Parents' Time Allocation Decisions Matter? Parental Caregiving and Child Labour in India

Pragyan Paramita Sahoo, Dr. Anwesha Aditya

ABSTRACT:

Despite comprehensive legal frameworks, child labour persists as a significant development challenge in India. This study examines whether parental time allocation is associated with reduced child labour participation among nuclear families. Using nationally representative Time Use Survey data from 2019 and 2024, we employ survey-weighted Tobit models to account for censoring and report average marginal effects. In 2019, increased maternal and paternal caregiving time both demonstrated statistically significant negative associations with child labour. By 2024, paternal caregiving continued to maintain a significant negative association, whereas the maternal association had become statistically insignificant. Household consumption expenditure and parental education, particularly maternal schooling, consistently reduced child labour across both periods. Results remain robust across alternative econometric specifications and align with household adaptation patterns following the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings demonstrate that parental time allocation and household economic resources jointly influence child labour participation. Policy interventions should prioritise strengthening parental caregiving engagement and household income generation simultaneously to reduce child labour among Indian nuclear families effectively.

Keywords: Child Labour, Child Care, Time Use Survey India, Parental Time Allocation