When we talk about “who works the most,” we shouldn’t look only at paid jobs. Women do a lot of unpaid care and domestic work, childcare, cooking, cleaning, elder care, errands, even water and fuel collection in some places. Here are the Top 10 countries where women work the most:
1) Mexico
Many Mexican women carry a classic “double shift.” On top of paid work—often in services, retail, hospitality, and the informal economy—they manage most daily cooking, cleaning, and child or elder care. Commutes in major cities can be long, and extended family networks help but don’t erase the load. Access to affordable childcare has improved in some states but remains uneven, so total weekly hours stack up quickly.
2) Colombia
Colombian women show strong participation in both formal and informal work, from commerce and services to micro-enterprises. At home, they take on the bulk of unpaid chores and care, especially where family safety nets are relied on. Transport times in large urban areas add extra hours to the day. A push to formalise jobs and expand childcare is helping, but the total load remains high.
3) India
Even where fewer women hold formal jobs, unpaid care time is heavy: cooking from scratch, cleaning, caring for children and elders, and in rural areas collecting water or fuel. Many combine home production or self-employment with household duties, creating very long days. Better access to safe transport, reliable water and energy, and creche/day-care services would cut the “time poverty” that keeps total hours so high.
4) Turkey
Women in Turkey juggle paid roles in retail, tourism, services, and seasonal agriculture with substantial unpaid housework. The urban–rural split is sharp: big-city jobs may come with long commutes; rural life brings more home production and caregiving. Grandparents often help, but cultural expectations still assign most domestic tasks to women, keeping total hours elevated.
5) Greece
A services and tourism economy means seasonal rushes and irregular shifts. At home, women commonly shoulder the larger share of childcare, cooking, and elder support. Grandparent care is widespread, yet it can’t cover everything, and formal childcare hours don’t always match work schedules. The result is long combined days, especially in peak travel months.
6) Italy
Italy’s ageing population means many women balance jobs with elder care as well as childcare. Part-time work is common, but it rarely reduces the unpaid load: meal preparation, cleaning, and admin still fall heavily on women. Childcare coverage has expanded, yet availability and cost vary by region—north vs south—so total weekly hours remain high.
7) Portugal
Female employment is relatively high, especially in services, hospitality, and the public sector. Add to that daily domestic tasks and care, and the overall hours climb. Portugal has grown early-years provision, but shift work and lower wages mean many mothers still patch together family support to cover afternoons and evenings—time that shows up in the total.
8) Japan
Japan’s long-hours work culture and long commutes meet persistent traditions around housework. Even when women work full-time, they often handle most cooking, cleaning, and school coordination. After-school programs help, but don’t fully cover overtime peaks. Progress on paternity leave and childcare is real, yet the home load still pushes women’s total hours up.
9) Republic of Korea (South Korea)
Korea’s paid workdays are shrinking but still demanding, and mothers typically manage school logistics, after-school study (hagwon) scheduling, meals, and housework. Public childcare has expanded, though uptake of paternity leave remains modest. Add elder care in an ageing society, and women’s combined paid-plus-unpaid hours stay among the highest.
10) Morocco/Tunisia (North Africa)
In both countries, many women split time between informal or seasonal work and heavy domestic duties. In rural areas, water or fuel collection and food preparation from basics add hours.
Urban women are increasingly active in services and commerce, yet household expectations still assign care and chores to them. Better transport, childcare, and basic services would cut the unpaid burden and rebalance the day.
