4.5 hours a day to social life and leisure, and women 3.9 hours. In low human development countries men spend nearly 30 percent more time on social life and leisure than women. In very high human development countries the difference is 12 percent. Women are also disproportionately involved in paid care work. The demand for paid domestic workers has risen. Globally an estimated 53 million people ages 15 and older are in paid domestic work. Of these, 83 percent are women —some, migrant workers. And so a global care work chain has emerged where migrant domestic workers undertake housework and provide care to children and others in households abroad. But they often leave their own children and parents behind in their homeland, creating a care gap often filled by grandparents, other relatives or hired local helpers. Despite the possible abuse in domestic work— low wages, poor working conditions, no access to medical care, and physical or sexual abuse— many workers feel obliged to remain with abusive employers because they need the work. Despite the importance for human development, care work often goes unrecognized. This is partly because, being unpaid, it is not reflected in economic indicators such as GDP. But valuing unpaid care work would highlight women’s contributions in households and communities and draw attention to their material conditions and well-being, with a possible implication for policymaking. Among all countries attempting to measure the value of unpaid care work, estimates range from 20 percent to 60 percent of GDP. In India unpaid care is estimated at 39 percent of GDP, in South Africa 15 percent. When women have no choice but to give priority to unpaid work and stay out of the labour force, they make large sacrifices, perhaps missing the chance to expand their capabilities in the workplace. They also lose opportunities for economic independence.
Addressing imbalances in unpaid and paid work benefits both current and future generations Imbalances in the division of work between women and men have to be changed. Yes, many
societies are experiencing a generational shift, particularly in educated middle-class households, towards greater sharing of care work between men and women. Yet much remains to be done, and action needs to happen quickly to address deep gender inequalities. Longstanding patterns of inequalities can reinforce each other, trapping women and girls across generations in realms of limited choices and opportunities. Steps are needed along four policy axes—reducing and sharing the load of unpaid care work, expanding opportunities for women in paid work, improving outcomes in paid work and changing norms. Time spent in unpaid care work needs to be reduced overall and shared more equally. Universal access to clean water, modern energy services for household needs, quality public services (including those related to health and care), workplace arrangements that accommodate flexible schedules without penalizing professional advancement and a shift in mindsets about gender-specific roles and responsibilities can all contribute to reducing the load of care work for families and women in particular. Legislation and targeted policies can increase women’s access to paid work. Access to quality higher education in all fields and proactive recruitment efforts can reduce barriers, particularly in fields where women are either underrepresented or where wage gaps persist. Policies can also remove barriers to women’s advancement in the workplace. Measures such as those related to workplace harassment and equal pay, mandatory parental leave, equitable opportunities to expand knowledge and expertise and measures to eliminate the attrition of human capital and expertise can help improve women’s outcomes at work. Paid parental leave is crucial. More equal and encouraged parental leave can help ensure high rates of female labour force participation, wage gap reductions and better work–life balance for women and men. Many countries now offer parental leave to be split between mothers and fathers. Social norms also need to evolve to reflect the equal potentials of women and men. Promoting women to visible positions of seniority, responsibility and decisionmaking in both public and private spheres and
Globally, women earn 24 percent less than men
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