Unpaid care deserves recognition for its role in boosting economies

 Certified Public Relations Analyst Medina Ibrahim. [Courtesy]

The designation of October 29 as the International Day of Care and Support through the adoption of Resolution A/RES/77/317 by the United Nations General Assembly this year is a significant step towards global recognition of unpaid care and domestic work.

The day is set aside to create awareness of the need to recognise and value unpaid care and domestic work with the ultimate objective of crafting policies and strategies to alleviate the disproportionate burden that unpaid care and household workplaces have on women.

Data derived from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) indicates that globally, three-quarters of all unpaid domestic and care work is undertaken by women and girls.

The 2021 Kenya Time Use Survey Report reveals that on average, women spend four hours and 30 minutes per day on unpaid household and care work compared to 54 minutes by men for the same timeframe.  

Unpaid care and domestic work remain invisible, undervalued and unaccounted for in national statistics and are therefore neglected in economic and social policymaking.

While time used for unpaid care work negatively impacts women’s growth and economic progress, the situation is exacerbated by inadequate appreciation of quality statistics at political and policy levels that should inform policy and programme design as well as evaluate the success of such policies and programmes.

The recognition that unpaid household and care work contributes towards sustaining society and the economy is the first step towards the development of resilient support systems backed by appropriate policies.

Further, adequate resources are required for long-term advocacy and behaviour change campaigns aimed at changing the attitudes, behaviours and perceptions about gender stereotypes related to care and support for any meaningful change to be realised.

Considering that it is women and girls who mostly undertake unpaid household and care work, there is a need to dispel the notion that gender-responsive policies will lead to the switching of perceived gender roles between men and women.

Policy and programmatic interventions at the national and county levels call for the enhancement of gender-responsive social support infrastructure.

Enhanced paternity leave, provision of piped water to reduce time spent by women in fetching water and the establishment of quality childcare centres supported by counties to ease the childcare burden faced by women and enable them to pursue gainful employment with ease are among the practical interventions that can be implemented in support of unpaid care work.

Others are institutionalising workplace-based child-care centres and promotion of shared responsibility within the household and family. 

 -The writer is a Certified Public Relations Analyst