Contet:

The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) report, The Impact of Care Responsibilities on Women’s Labour Participation, identifies a significant barrier to female workforce participation globally, particularly in India. The report reveals that 53% of women in India are outside the labour force due to care responsibilities, in stark contrast to just 1.1% of men. This disparity highlights the urgent need for targeted investments in the care economy to promote greater gender equality within India’s workforce.

India’s Labour Force Participation and Care Responsibilities:

The ILO report underscores a disproportionate share of care responsibilities shouldered by women in India, deeply rooted in societal norms and a lack of supporting infrastructure. Key findings reveal:

·         Female Labour Force Participation (FLFP): India's FLFP rate remains low, with many women engaged in unpaid domestic duties. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for 2023-24, 36.7% of women are involved in unpaid work within household enterprises, only slightly lower than the previous year’s figure of 37.5%.

·         Time Use Patterns: The National Statistical Office’s (NSO) Time Use Survey (2019) reveals that 81% of women aged 6 and above dedicate over five hours daily to unpaid domestic work, compared to just over an hour for men. Disparities are especially pronounced in age groups with family and child-rearing demands.

Caregiving: A Major Barrier for Women’s Workforce Participation

India’s high share of women outside the labor force due to caregiving mirrors global trends. The ILO’s global estimates for 2023 reveal that 708 million women worldwide are outside the labor force due to unpaid care responsibilities, compared to just 40 million men. India is among five countries (including Iran, Egypt, Jordan, and Mali) where over half of all women are outside the labor force primarily due to caregiving.

Regional Disparities:

Globally, the impact of caregiving on female workforce participation varies:

• Northern Africa: 63% of women cite care responsibilities as a barrier.
• Eastern Europe: 11% of women stay out of the labor force for caregiving.
• Asia and the Pacific: 52%, indicating a regional pattern of gendered labor barriers driven by care duties.

Understanding the Care Economy:

The care economy encompasses all activities essential for the existence and well-being of society, including both paid and unpaid care work. Unpaid care work—often personal and relational—includes childcare, elder care, and household chores, while paid care work involves roles such as nurses, teachers, and domestic workers. Despite its importance, care work is frequently undervalued and poorly compensated. For instance, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers in India are among the lowest-paid workers globally.

Challenges in the Care Economy:

1.    Gender Disparities: Women make up 70% of the workforce in health and social sectors yet face a gender pay gap of around 28%. This disparity places care work among the most biased sectors regarding wage payments.

2.    The Double Burden of Work: Indian women often juggle unpaid domestic responsibilities with paid employment, leading to substantial time poverty. The 2019 Time Use Survey indicates that women in the working-age group spend an average of seven hours daily on unpaid household work, limiting their engagement in the monetized economy.

3.    Undervaluation and Low Wages: Care workers in India, particularly domestic and Anganwadi workers, often receive very low wages. The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) for 2017-18 reveals that 62% of domestic workers earn less than ₹5,000 per month.

4.    Informality and Lack of Protection: Many care workers in India operate informally, lacking essential labor protections and benefits. The NSSO reports that 71% of domestic workers are employed informally.

5.    Societal Attitudes and Cultural Norms: In Indian society, care work is often viewed as "women's work," leading to undervaluation and reinforcing gender stereotypes. An IPSOS survey from 2019 found that 65% of Indians believe caregiving is solely a woman's responsibility.

6.    Policy Gaps and Fragmented Approaches: India's care policies are frequently fragmented, resulting in inefficient resource allocation and inadequate support for care workers.

7.    Market Failures and Economic Metrics: The undervaluation of care work renders it invisible in economic metrics, contributing to market failures and time poverty for women. A recent policy brief indicates that care work contributes approximately 15-17% to India's GDP, yet it remains unrecognized in traditional economic assessments.

8.    Global Care Chains: The concept of a “global care chain” emerges in discussions about the care crisis, as women from dominant communities enter the workforce, leading to care gaps filled by migrant women or those from marginalized communities.

Policy Suggestions:

1.    Invest in Social Care Infrastructure: Establish affordable public care services, such as childcare and eldercare, to create job opportunities for women. Formalizing unpaid work would provide paid employment and alleviate unpaid responsibilities, encouraging higher female labor force participation.

2.    Enhance Labor Market Access and Opportunities: Implement minimum wage laws to ensure fair compensation for care workers. Recognizing care work as skilled labor can empower workers and improve bargaining power. Additionally, offering pensions, health insurance, and maternity benefits to informal caregivers would enhance their economic stability.

3.    Recognize Unpaid Work in Macroeconomic Policies: Utilizing data from the Time Use Survey can help quantify the value of unpaid care work, integrating it into macroeconomic measures to redefine care work as a productive economic activity. Gender-sensitive policies designed using this data could alleviate the unpaid work burden on women.

4.    Challenge Social and Cultural Norms: Destigmatizing unpaid care work is essential for altering gender stereotypes. Public campaigns can promote men’s involvement in caregiving, while policies can encourage paternity and parental leave.

5.    Interdependence of Policy Revisions: Policy revisions are interdependent; building care infrastructure alone will not suffice if jobs remain undervalued. Ensuring care work is recognized and compensated fairly is essential to establishing social safety nets for workers.

Conclusion:

While India has made strides in female labor force participation, care responsibilities remain a critical barrier. The ILO report highlights the importance of investing in the care economy and transforming societal norms around caregiving. To leverage its full demographic potential and drive inclusive growth, India must address these gendered challenges through well-funded early childhood care and education (ECCE), gender-sensitive policies, and a shift in societal perspectives. Reducing the care burden on women can open pathways for greater economic participation and foster a more equitable workforce.