Introduction
The traditional definition of work has long been centered on paid, formal employment, typically performed by men. However, this narrow understanding excludes the vast amount of unpaid labor carried out by women, especially in the domestic and care sectors. From a gender perspective, it is crucial to redefine work to recognize, value, and integrate women’s contributions into economic, social, and policy frameworks. This essay explores the need to redefine work, supported by case studies and data.
Why Redefining Work is Necessary from a Gender Perspective
1. Recognition of Unpaid Work
Women spend a significant portion of their day in household chores, caregiving, and community activities. These are essential for the functioning of society but are not acknowledged as economic contributions.
Data: According to the NSSO Time Use Survey (2019), Indian women spend 4.5 hours daily on unpaid domestic work compared to men’s 0.5 hours.
2. Bridging the Gender Gap in Employment
Women’s participation in the workforce is underestimated due to the exclusion of informal, part-time, and home-based work from labor statistics.
Example: Many women in rural India engage in agriculture, livestock care, and food processing without being recorded as “workers.”
3. Policy Formulation and Resource Allocation
Redefining work would allow governments to frame gender-sensitive policies, like social security for unpaid caregivers, skill training, and inclusive employment schemes.
4. Empowerment and Identity
When women’s unpaid work is recognized as real work, it boosts their self-esteem, gives them bargaining power within the household, and promotes gender equity.
Case Studies Supporting Redefinition
1. SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association), India
SEWA organizes informal women workers, such as vegetable vendors, home-based producers, and domestic workers. It advocates for their rights as ‘workers’ and provides access to credit, healthcare, and legal aid.
Impact: Over 2 million women have benefited, and the idea of informal work as ‘real work’ has gained recognition.
2. Ecuador’s National Accounts
Ecuador is one of the first countries to include unpaid domestic work in its national GDP. This led to increased investments in public childcare and family welfare programs.
3. Kudumbashree Mission, Kerala
This government initiative supports women in self-help groups and recognizes their unpaid care and community work by linking it to livelihood training and micro-entrepreneurship.
Global Support for Redefining Work
- UN Sustainable Development Goal 5: Calls for the recognition and redistribution of unpaid care and domestic work.
- ILO Convention 189: Recognizes domestic workers and calls for equal rights and protections.
- Time-Use Surveys: Increasingly being adopted to capture gendered patterns of labor in national statistics.
Challenges to Redefinition
- Resistance from traditional economic frameworks that view only market-based labor as valuable.
- Cultural norms that consider housework as a woman’s duty and not work.
- Lack of reliable data and standardized methods for measuring unpaid work.
Recommendations
- Incorporate unpaid work in GDP calculations and national labor statistics.
- Provide social protection (pensions, health insurance) to unpaid caregivers.
- Develop public infrastructure to reduce the burden of care on women.
- Promote shared domestic responsibilities among men and women through education and media.
Conclusion
Redefining work from a gender perspective is essential for achieving real gender equality. Recognizing and valuing unpaid and informal work, mostly performed by women, will reshape economic policies, social structures, and cultural attitudes. By expanding the definition of work, societies can ensure justice, inclusion, and sustainable development that truly reflects the contributions of all.