Women Belong in All Places Where Decisions Are Being Made
“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception.”
– Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Across the globe, women spend between two to ten times more hours on unpaid care and domestic work than men. This vast imbalance in gender roles and division of labor has become a dangerous social norm — especially within households, where women are often expected to sacrifice their careers and personal aspirations for domestic responsibilities, with little to no decision-making power.
Tasks like cooking, cleaning, and caregiving have historically been labeled as "women’s work," which continues to keep women away from economic opportunities and empowerment. Many of us have seen this firsthand — women in our own families who have worked tirelessly, often without appreciation or recognition.
According to McKinsey, women perform 75% of the world’s unpaid care work. In India, the 2019 NSS Time Use Survey revealed that women spend 299 minutes a day on domestic tasks, compared to only 97 minutes for men. Some studies estimate the gap to be as wide as 577%. These figures aren’t just numbers — they reflect deeply entrenched inequalities that demand change.
Yet, beyond statistics, the real stories of women navigating unpaid labor give us insight into the structural nature of this injustice — and the hope for resistance and reform.
The Gendered Assumption of Caregiving
The belief that caregiving is a woman’s duty lies at the heart of this inequality. Men are often seen as breadwinners — entitled to leisure and autonomy — while women are expected to remain at home. This mindset is rooted in unequal power dynamics. It assumes women are incapable of making sound financial decisions or pursuing meaningful work outside the home.
Aruna, a government employee-turned-homemaker, shared that she had to give up a promising career after her second child’s birth. Her family was unwilling to support her in managing domestic duties, leading to a deep sense of loss and a blow to her independence.
For Uma, a chemistry graduate, the unending routine of caregiving created an emotional and mental toll. The constant nature of unpaid work left her feeling depleted, with no time to focus on her own priorities.
A recent viral image of a woman cooking while using an oxygen tank during a COVID infection triggered fierce online debate. While some praised her sacrifice, many rightly questioned the glorification of unpaid labor at the cost of well-being and dignity.
Unpaid But Invaluable: The Unrecognized Labor of Women
Care work sustains families and society, yet the women who perform it are rarely recognized or valued. In many households, working women juggle careers and domestic responsibilities with little support — often forced to sacrifice one for the other.
Aruna recalls how her in-laws viewed the kitchen as a woman’s rightful place. The work she did — cooking, cleaning, child-rearing — was never seen as effort, but as duty. Uma remembers her husband refusing to help even with simple tasks like fetching a glass of water or assisting with their children's homework, believing it was solely her responsibility.
This lack of acknowledgment takes a toll not just on women's ambitions, but also on their mental and emotional health.
Decreasing Female Workforce Participation
Unpaid care work is one of the primary reasons women drop out of the workforce. Research shows that a 10% increase in women's labor participation corresponds to a significant decrease in unpaid care work.
Aruna, on the brink of a promotion, had to quit her job due to the burden of care responsibilities — a decision she deeply regrets. She’s not alone. Countless women face the same crossroads, often without real choice.
Uma suggests that corporate policies can play a key role in retaining women in the workforce — through gender-sensitive leave policies, access to crèches, and equitable parental leave.
Globally, the economic value of unpaid care work is estimated at $10.8 trillion a year — a staggering figure that reveals just how vital and yet invisible this labor remains.
Poverty and Marginalization Deepen the Divide
The burden of unpaid labor falls even more heavily on women from marginalized and poor communities. In rural and underserved areas, limited access to water, sanitation, healthcare, and support structures leads to even greater time poverty.
Women in these communities are not only expected to perform domestic labor but also take on physically taxing responsibilities like fetching water, cooking on firewood, or caring for sick family members — all without compensation or societal acknowledgment.
What Needs to Change?
Both Aruna and Uma believe that change must begin at multiple levels: family, society, and policy. It begins with recognizing care work as work — essential, valuable, and deserving of support and shared responsibility.
It requires men to step up at home and share caregiving duties equally. It calls for educational reform and awareness campaigns that challenge traditional gender roles. And it demands that governments and institutions build policies that support women’s economic participation through family-friendly work environments and social safety nets.
Their stories remind us that this is not just about fairness. It is about justice, dignity, and the right to live with agency.
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