World Savvy Monitor

All women, whether or not they also work in the paid sector, contribute more hours than men in what is known as the “care economy.” 

• The UN defines the “care economy” as “unpaid work done in the domestic sphere that keeps the current labor force fed, clothed, and healthy enough to work as well as raises the future labor force.”

• Also called “invisible work,” or the “second shift,” this includes childrearing, child and elder care, housework, and subsistence farming.

• The UN estimates that women spend an average of 70% of their time on work for which they do not get paid.  

• If these services were not being performed for free by women, they would require public and private expenditures.

Next:  Women and the Economy:  Paid Work