The Women and Media Collective held a Policy Dialogue on Unpaid Care Work on 31st March 2023 at the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo from 9 am to 1.00 pm
Economic development, expanding production, trade and services has undoubtedly brought more women into the labour force in Sri Lanka, albeit slowly. However, there is a marked disjunct between these changes in the visibility of women’s labour in the economic sphere and their invisibility as workers in their homes. Enabling women and men, policy makers, and economic planners to understand the time expended in and the value of unpaid care work is integral to meaningful socio-economic and political advancement of the country.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) include Unpaid Care Work in Goal 5, the stand-alone Goal on Gender Equality. The focus of SDG Target 5.4 is to “Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate.” There is, as yet, little information available in Sri Lanka on the path to achieving this Target; there is an urgency to address this issue.
Unpaid care work encompasses all the work carried out within a household for the wellbeing of its members. This includes the care of the young, elderly, disabled or sick, cooking, cleaning, washing as well as voluntary community work. The labour of the individual/s who perform these activities must be considered work of economic as well as social value; a person hired to perform these activities would be paid. Unpaid care work is a key factor that limits women, as caregivers, from engaging in paid work. It must be reduced through the provision of quality low-cost care services. Sharing unpaid care work within the home by men and women, girls and boys is key to realising gender equality.
The Women and Media Collective together with the Social Scientists’ Association carried out a research study on Unpaid Care Work in six districts in Sri Lanka during the period 2018 and 2020. Two research objectives informed this research. One was to assess, through a Time Use Survey, the time that is dedicated to activities that are carried out for the well-being of household members.
The second research objective was to attempt to input an economic value to the time that is expended on these household care activities. The importance of valuing unpaid care work is key to recognizing the economic contribution of this work to the household and to the national economy on the one hand, and the need to review and expand the definitions used for what constitutes ‘work’ on the other.
The Policy Dialogue was conducted by Dr Sepali Kottegoda of the WMC, Dr. Pradeep Pieris of the Social Scientists’ Association and Prof. Dileni Gunewardena of the University of Peradeniya sharing the key findings of the research. Following which a lively discussion took place moderated by Ms. Sarala Emmanuel, with the assembled policy makers, government officials, Ministers and Researchers.
For more information on the of WMC on this topic, please contact:
Women and Media Collective (WMC)
51/1, Sarasavi Lane, Castle Street, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka.
Tel : 94 11 2690201
Fax : +94 11 2690192
Email : [email protected]
Web : www.womenandmedia.org
Facebook : @womenandmediacollective
Twitter : @womenandmedia
Youtube : youtube.com/@wmcsrilanka & youtube.com/@wmcsrilanka9148 youtube.com/@unpaidcarework-