Introduction: Leisure, defined as having sufficient time to engage in enjoyable activities of one's choice, is a universal necessity for well-being and related outcomes. However, gender often influences both the availability and quality of leisure. In the Indian context, working women typically shoulder household responsibilities in addition to workplace duties, leaving them burdened with both paid and unpaid labour, and with very little leisure time. While leisure has been extensively studied in the West, empirical research remains scarce on the leisure experiences of Indian working women, despite its direct and indirect implications for productivity, health, and well-being.


Purpose: This study sought to address the questions: What challenges do women face in engaging in leisure? and how does leisure contribute to women's well-being and contentment? It aimed to investigate the gendered leisure experiences of Indian working women.


Method: Qualitative research design was adopted with mixed purposeful sampling - combining chain and intensity sampling - to recruit 44 working women from South Indian states. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, which were recorded, translated where necessary, and transcribed for analysis.


Results: Reflexive thematic analysis revealed three major themes related to women's leisure engagement: (1) Constraints, (2) Consequences, and (3) Changes. The findings highlight the diverse leisure experiences of participants and indicate potential strategies for enhancing the leisure of working women.


Conclusions: The study provides insights to inform multiple stakeholders - including working women and their families, managers, organisations, policymakers, and women's empowerment advocates - about the significance of gendered leisure. It further emphasises the need to adopt strategies that ensure women's leisure satiation, thereby promoting a range of personal and societal benefits.