Reducing and Redistributing Unpaid Work: Stronger Policies to Support Gender Equality

IMF Working Papers, October 15, 2019

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Canonical URL: Reducing and Redistributing Unpaid Work: Stronger Policies to Support Gender Equality

Authors: Cristian Alonso, Mariya Brussevich, Era Dabla-Norris, Yuko Kinoshita, Kalpana Kochhar
Published: October 15, 2019
Series: IMF Working Papers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513514536.001

Unpaid work (caring for children, the elderly, and household chores) represents a significant share of economic activity but is not counted as part of GDP.
Women disproportionately shoulder the burden of unpaid work: on average, women do two more hours of unpaid work per day than men, with large differences across countries.
The paper examines recent trends in unpaid work around the world using aggregate and individual-level data, explores potential drivers, and identifies policies to reduce and redistribute unpaid work across genders.
Conservative model-based estimates suggest that the gains from these policies could amount to up to 4 percent of GDP.

Gender disparity in unpaid work is substantial: women perform, on average, two more hours of unpaid work per day than men.
Constraints beyond pure individual choice contribute to unpaid care burdens: cultural norms, labor market features, lack of public services and infrastructure, and absence of family-friendly policies.
These constraints undermine female labor force participation and lower economy-wide productivity.

Cultural norms that shape gender roles in household and care responsibilities.
Labor market characteristics and job matching that affect women's ability to participate in paid employment.
Availability and quality of public services and infrastructure related to care.
Presence or absence of family-friendly policies and workplace arrangements.

Implement and expand public services and infrastructure that reduce time spent on unpaid care.
Promote family-friendly policies that support redistribution of unpaid work across genders.
Address labor market features and job matching to facilitate female labor force participation.
Change cultural norms through policies and programs that encourage shared domestic responsibilities.