Urgent need to prioritise care economy, invest in child development: expert

Women's unpaid, unrecognised work hinders India's female workforce growth. Investing in care economy & childcare can help tackle inequality & improve development. ICDS & Maternity Benefit Act help, but lack funding & accessibility. Sensitising men to issues can create conducive environment for women in workforce.

“Most of women’s work is unpaid, unseen and unrecognised,” said Chirashree Ghosh, member of the Forum for Creches and Childcare Services (FORCES).

Ms. Ghosh, in a telephonic interview with The Hindu on Monday, November 6, 2023, said India’s G20 presidency had listed women-led development as one of its priorities, but the country’s female workforce has remained low, only seeing a jump in the 1990s and 2000s, according to World Bank data.

Stating that there was an urgent need to look into and invest in the ‘care economy’, she said that globally there has been a slow transition into make the care economy a priority but at the national level, this still lacks the strength to bring about change. The care economy encompasses various sectors such as healthcare, elderly care etc., which are still largely dominated by women.

Pointing out that women, mostly in the unorganised sector are not acknowledged for their work she said, “A lot of back-end support is offered by women while their husbands are working. As their work goes unpaid, women’s participation in the workforce is very low.”

To tackle inequality, the country needs to invest in childcare, Ms. Ghosh said. Research has shown that early intervention helps in the overall development of the child. The country would get more returns in terms of development if it invested in the 0-6 age group of children, she added.

So far, Ms. Chirashree pointed out, only the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), which now lacks funding, has helped children of this age group in a holistic way. She further added that the Maternity Benefit Act helps women but it still remains largely inaccessible in the informal sector.

A regulatory framework is required to tackle child development, she said. Men also need to be sensitised to the issues so that a more conducive environment is formed which will help women enter the workforce in larger numbers, she said.