Monetisation of household work

Women's development, their empowerment and improved standing in society and family are the key issues of social advancement. Progress in increasing women's representation in different sectors including employment achieved over the last few decades can be called a success story of Bangladesh and it has drawn praise from development partners as well as foreign observers.
But if gender bias is overcome it will be clear that even those women who are not doing any job or pursuing any career are also contributing to the economy by simply performing domestic chores. Husking paddy, cooking meal, rearing children, managing the household are tasks no less valuable than producing goods and services, but such contributions by housewives are not tangible and are not monetised. And therefore their worth and importance in the total economy tend to be ignored. If these are taken into account it will appear that women are a productive force even without working outside home.
To this end, in a historic policy shift, the interim government has announced that from the 2025-26 fiscal year, women's unpaid contributions will be included in the calculation of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Women's rights advocates, who have long campaigned for the recognition of this invisible labour, hailed the decision as a watershed moment not just in economic accounting, but also in ensuring gender justice.
The latest Household Production Satellite Account (HPSA), prepared by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in collaboration with UN Women using data from the Labour Force Survey 2021, estimates the total value of unpaid work at Tk 6.7 trillion. Of this, women account for about 85 per cent (Tk 5.7 trillion) of unpaid work, while men's contribution is significantly lower, at around Tk 1 trillion.
So, once the value of women's domestic duties in monetary terms is included in the computation of GDP, it will significantly inflate the size of the national economy. A 2014 study by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) estimated that the country's GDP would rise by 76.8 per cent if women's household contributions were calculated.
But that does not mean that only economists and statisticians should take notice of women's domestic services. The attitude of family and society must change. Some misogynists may say why women should work outside when their domestic duties are equally valuable and even officially recognised and calculated in the GDP. Such arguments should not be used to discourage women from working outside. Women who are employed or engaged in some profession bring home cash money and by dint of it are able to somewhat raise their position and assertiveness. Their sisters who stay home and render services within the confines of their houses are often comparatively more depressed and suppressed.
So, will the mere recognition and monetisation of women's unpaid household contributions actually improve their condition? The HPSA report itself underlines that recognition must be coupled with efforts to recognise, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care work. This requires investment in childcare centres, eldercare services, healthcare facilities, and public transport. It also demands a cultural shift in which caregiving is seen as a shared responsibility, not one borne exclusively by women.
It is not clear, however, whether men's unpaid contributions, though far less than those of their female counterparts but expected to grow as more women enter the workforce, will also be monetised and reflected in the GDP calculation. Will there be an official recognition of male contributions as well?

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