Women’s unpaid work needs recognition for smart economy: Waseqa

Building a smart economy won't be possible without recognising and valuing women's unpaid work, said State Minister for Finance Waseqa Ayesha Khan today (26 May).

"Disregarding the unpaid care work of women is a global problem. There is no reason to exclude women's household and care work from GDP," she said at a seminar on "Recognition of Unpaid Care Work: A Step towards Financial and Social Empowerment of Women", organised by the Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) in the capital. 

"We are trying to include unpaid care work in the budget as the economy of Smart Bangladesh will not be smart without it," she said. 
The MJF has been demanding inclusion of women's unpaid care work in the GDP and reforms to the national income measurement system to enhance women's dignity at all levels.

At the same time, Waseqa sought recognition for the work of domestic workers, saying that it is not easy to work outside the house without their help.

"We are trying to include unpaid care work in the budget as the economy of Smart Bangladesh will not be smart without it."

In her address, Shaheen Anam, the MJF executive director, referred to the Prime Minister's instructions for including the care work of women in national GDP calculations.

She said, "A CPD study found that the unpaid work value is three times more than the paid work of women. It is high time to recognise this unpaid care work economically."

Presenting the keynote paper at the seminar, Banasree Mitra Neogi, director (programme) of the NGO, added, "National recognition of unpaid care work will strengthen the change of norms that we've been trying to change for such a long time." 

She further said the recognition will be required both socially and economically. "Government has a major role to play to accomplish this." 

Speaking at the event as a special guest, Hossain Zillur Rahman, a former caretaker government adviser, said, "We have to change the norms and sense of social responsibilities. Toxic masculinity is a big issue. These call for additional policy and budgetary steps."

UN Women Representative to Bangladesh, Gitanjali Singh, believes that the process of recognition has to be a collective approach. Partnerships are fundamental, and collaboration is the key here.

Citing the Labour Force Survey 2017, speakers said 81% of the work of women is unrecognised but the rate is 18% for men. 

Another survey by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) revealed that women's household and care work was valued at Tk 5,307 billion in 2021, equivalent to 14.8% of the GDP. In contrast, men's contribution to GDP through similar work was only 2.8%.

Kazi Iqbal, research director of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, Sayema Haque Bidisha, professor of economics at Dhaka University, and Anisatul Fatema Yousuf, a member of MJF's governing body, also spoke at the event.