SHAPING THE FUTURE HOW CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS CAN POWER HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

BOX 2.1:
Women bear a larger burden of unpaid work
Even beyond the labour market, women’s unpaid
domestic care work has major implications for
human development, as noted in the 2015 global
Human Development Report. Women are typically
the major providers of family and household work,
with significant implications for the well-being of
children and older people. While the monetary
contribution of this is not calculated in national
accounts, research and national surveys indicate
that the value comprises 20 percent to 60 percent
of GDP across countries.
The burden of household work is not equally shared
between men and women. National surveys indicate
that women spend 2 to 10 times more time in
unpaid work compared to men; in Cambodia and
Pakistan, for example, they spend 9 times more
time. Even where women complete similar levels of
education as men, they may be deprived of opportunities
to work outside the home because of family
responsibilities. The result is a loss for women as
individuals, since they end up with more limited
chances to exercise their rights and independence,
including through earning their own income. By
reducing the workforce, it also detracts from the
significant investments that many countries have
now made in girls’ education.
One key barrier to the greater participation of
women in the workforce is the unavailability of
reliable and affordable childcare services. These
have yet to be developed in most countries, so
families depend on mothers or grandparents for
nurturing infants and children. Some private companies
have started to provide day-care facilities
for their female employees, but these are very few.
Increased support from governments is needed
to develop services, including through policies
that can incentivize private provision. Maternal and
paternal leave policies can also do much to allow
mothers and fathers to better manage family and
work responsibilities.
Sources: UNDP 2015a, Charmes 2015.
FIGURE 2.7:
There is significant potential to increase women’s labour force participation in South Asia
and the Pacific island countries
Source: Based on UN DESA 2015a.
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