How Time Usage Reveals Inequality in Kazakhstan

Every person gets 24 hours in a day. But how that time is spent reveals deep divides in society — between men and women, regions and cities, work and home.

A 2024 study by Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics offers a rare glimpse into how people across the country over the age of 10 spend their days. The findings go beyond daily routines — they reveal gender inequality, regional disparities, and how unpaid labor shapes real-life opportunities.

The unpaid workload: Women’s double day

One of the clearest takeaways from the study? Women are doing much more unpaid household labor — on top of their jobs. They spend 3 hours 46 minutes a day on housework. While Men spend just 1.5 hours.

Women are the primary cooks, cleaners, and caregivers. Every day:

•  2 hours go to cooking and food preparation

•  49 minutes to cleaning

•  30 minutes to laundry, shopping, pet care, or driving kids around

Men, by contrast, spend just over 1 hour total on these tasks. And some duties — like repairing things or childcare — get as little as 1 to 8 minutes of male attention per day.

Even quality time with family isn’t equal: women spend 10 minutes more per day with family members than men — a small number, but over a year, it adds up.

This “second shift” comes at a cost. Compared to men, women have:

•  11 minutes less each day to study or learn

•  6 minutes less for socializing

•  Nearly an hour less for leisure

Men, on the other hand, spend 3 hours 48 minutes daily on hobbies, entertainment, sports, or screen time. They have the privilege of unwinding — women are too busy managing two jobs.

Weekdays vs. weekends: What changes (and what doesn’t)

On weekdays:

•  Paid work: 5 hours 16 minutes

•  Household chores: Women 3 hrs, Men < 1 hr

•  Studying: 49 minutes

•  Rest and personal time: Just over 3 hours

On weekends:

•  Work doesn’t disappear: 36 minutes per day

•  Housework increases to 3.5 hours — and over 4.5 hours for women

•  Leisure and social time grow by about 2 hours — 2.5 hoursmore for men, 1.5 hours for women

•  Sleep: an extra hour

So while weekends offer more rest, for women they often just mean switching from paid to unpaid work. It’s not a break — it’s a shift in duties.

Where you live does matter: Regional differences

The study also reveals striking regional contrasts.

Work

•  Longest working hours: Karaganda (3h 20m), Aktobe, Kostanay, North Kazakhstan, Astana, Almaty

•  Shortest: Shymkent — only 2h 18m

Housework

•  Over 3 hours daily in: Abay, Akmola, West Kazakhstan, Jetisu, Kostanay, East Kazakhstan

•  Less than 2.5 hours in: Mangystau, Astana, Almaty

Social time

•  Most sociable: Kyzylorda residents spend 1.5 hours a day socializing

•  Least: Astana and East Kazakhstan — only about 30 minutes

Leisure

•  East Kazakhstan leads with 4 hours 6 minutes of daily downtime

Sleep

•  Sleepiest: Kyzylorda and Zhambyl — nearly 10 hours of sleep

•  Shortest sleep: Kostanay — just 8.5 hours

Leisure inequality: Free time is a luxury for men

Men enjoy about an hour more leisure each day than women. They spend twice as much time on hobbies, more time socializing, and an extra 30 minutes on screens.

That’s not just fun — it’s recovery, creativity, and growth. When women’s free time is swallowed by chores, it limits their energy, health, and potential.

Sleep: The ultimate inequality

Sleep reflects wellbeing. Some regions average nearly 10 hours of rest. Others — like Kostanay — get less than 8.5 hours. Combine that with unpaid labor and low leisure time, and you get a stressed, tired population with limited prospects.

This study shows that time isn’t just a schedule — it’s a window into inequality.

•  Women’s unpaid labor limits their access to education, income, and self-development.

•  Regional time gaps highlight differences in lifestyle, infrastructure, and opportunity.

•  Rest, learning, and personal time aren’t equally distributed — and that has long-term consequences.

Time isn’t just a personal choice. It’s a public issue — and a call to rebalance how society supports work, care, and wellbeing.