Recognition of women's unpaid work is not enough

A fair and genuine economy takes into account the value of all kinds of labour or work, formal or informal, and their overall contribution to it. When economy demands reasonable payment for work, Bangladesh has so far failed to recognise the extent of unpaid work that go in the name of routine domestic chores and care provided by women in their own households. In monetary value, these unaccounted services provided by women in Bangladesh are worth a staggering amount of Tk 5.7 trillion compared with men's Tk1.0 trillion. Sure enough, this gender inequity in several cases is based on the nature of the occupation of the male members---usually the provider of the families. But in more general cases, the arrangement stems from the ancient and now proved false notion that men were hunters and women were gatherers. Even when people started settling at protected homes, the legacy only confined women within the four walls or the surrounding precincts.

However, the dark age is over and Bangladesh has witnessed a phenomenal change in women's education but without their commensurate employment. There are instances where women had to opt out of handsomely paying jobs in the interest of caring for growing children and elderly members in the family. Also, there are cases, where both husbands and wives have similar careers and responsibilities but on return home it is the wives who make the tea and meal, feed babies, clean utensils while their spouses rest, watch TV or pass idle time. It gives the impression that time stands still here in Bangladesh. There is a need for a mental leap for even the educated class, let alone those belonging to the lower ranks.

The Bangladesh's first official comprehensive Household Production Satellite Account (HPSA) prepared by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistic (BBS) and the UN Women Bangladesh with support from the global Women Counterprogramme and technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) released on Tuesday has exposed how women's contribution to the national economy goes unappreciated and unrewarded. Women are barely credited for the vital job they perform at home---one that actually is the prime driver of the nation's engagement with the occupations in multifarious areas of the economy. If the 16.14 per cent of their contribution to the GDP is taken off, the economy is sure to collapse. Their unpaid domestic works at 85.34 per cent and care work at 85.41 per cent respectively as against men's 14.66 and 14.59 scream for proper recognition.

True, the interim government has made it a point to include women's unpaid works in the GDP calculations. It may inflate the size of the national economy to the satisfaction of government functionaries. But will it change the lot of women belonging to any class? Maybe, just maybe, in a select band of the upper class society things may change a little. But the truth is women of that class are hardly discriminated against. The problem is persistent down the rank. The poorer are families, the greater the discrimination. Without removing the economic malaise and reasonably bridging the yawning income gaps, families will not earn the right to lead a decent life and get over the discrimination. Meanwhile, a social campaign should be launched to get the message across society.