Household Chores are Just as Important as Paid Work

Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for helping to end Liberia’s civil war. However, when she was invited to speak at a Gates Foundation event in 2017, she didn’t talk about that. Instead, she talked about a meeting she had once had with a group of pastors.

At that meeting, Gbowee had asked one of the pastors what his wife did during the day. The pastor had said, “Nothing. Sits at home, eats my money, gossips.” Then, Gbowee asked the pastor to write a list of every chore that his wife did each day, from heating water to cooking food. Between them, the pastor and Leymah Gbowee added up how much it would cost the pastor to pay someone else to do all these chores. It was more than the pastor earned.

The pastor’s story is repeated around the world. In every country, work inside the home, such as cooking, cleaning, and childcare makes it possible for some family members to work outside the home.

HOW MUCH UNPAID WORK IS DONE EVERY DAY?

The problem is, no one knows how much unpaid work is carried out every day. One study says that, on average, women do 4.5 hours more unpaid work than men every day. However, many surveys of working habits still only include questions about paid work. Many other surveys are filled in only by one person in a household who, like the pastor, might not understand the value of unpaid work.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

On a local level, understanding the value of unpaid work in the home can help everyone to see the contribution that all members of the household make. On a national and international level, understanding how much unpaid work is carried out, especially by women, can help leaders to see the barriers that prevent women from taking up paid work.

As one activist put it, “We cannot close the gender gap until we close the data gap.” In other words, we need information about the work that women do, including inside the home. We need this information because, without it, it is much more difficult to see how to give women the same opportunities as men.

REBECCA OGDEN

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