Unpaid domestic, care work made up 15pc of GDP
The value of women's unpaid domestic and care work accounted for 14.8 percent of Bangladesh's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021, said a study by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) yesterday.
The value of unpaid domestic and caregiving services by men was 2.8 percent during that time, said the study titled, "Valuation of Women's Unpaid and Non-Market Household and Care Work: Evidence-based on the Bangladesh Time Use Survey 2021".
Women make a significant contribution to social and economic development through unpaid household and caregiving work, said Tanima Ahmed of the American University of Washington, presenting the findings of the study at the Annual BIDS Conference on Development.
The BIDS organised the three-day event at a city hotel.
Co-authored by BIDS Director General Binayak Sen, and its research directors Kazi Iqbal and Mohammad Yunus, the study found that Bangladesh is at par with India and Sri Lanka on the ratio of unpaid domestic work to GDP.
In India, the share of unpaid domestic work is 14 percent of its GDP. In the case of Sri Lanka, the ratio is 15 percent, said Tanima.
To estimate the monetary value of unpaid domestic work, the researchers multiplied three factors: the average number of hours spent by an individual on unpaid care work annually, the hourly replacement wage, and the number of the population aged 15 years and above.
Tanima said there are three sectors of unpaid work: unpaid domestic services for household and family members, unpaid caregiving services for household and family members and unpaid productive work for own consumption.
The researchers focused on the first two categories.
"We have adopted the replacement method for valuing the unpaid work," she said at a session chaired by Centre for Policy Dialogue's Fahmida Khatun.
The study used Tk 450 and Tk 300 per day as replacement wages for men and women, respectively, in rural areas. For urban areas, it was Tk 500 and Tk 350.
It found that the value of unpaid domestic and caregiving services was Tk 6,32,500 crore in 2021 with women's share being Tk 5,30,700 crore.
The study suggested recognition of unpaid care work and investing in care services to reduce and distribute the unpaid care responsibility of women.
"Unpaid caregivers should be prioritised in accessing public health, nutrition, and public social protection programmes," said Tanima.
"Male contribution to the unpaid household care work must be encouraged. This will help ensure the even spread of the care work across gender, ensuring gender equality in unpaid work."
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