Unpaid care work refers to all those tasks performed by a person which require one to fulfill the physical, psychological and developmental needs of a recipient without being monetarily remunerated. The responsibility of performing care work is disproportionately put more on women than on men, because women’s primary duty is seen to be within the household whereas a man’s is assumed to be in the public sphere as the breadwinner of the family.
Care work often keeps women from completing their education, working jobs in the public sphere, and, consequently, from becoming financially independent. They end up having significantly lower negotiating power as they are not seen as “productive” members of the family. This is truly unfortunate as it assumed that women sit idle at home whereas they are performing a never-ending work shift. They are also responsible for enabling the “breadwinner” to even participate in the public sphere because they manage everything else in the household.
Also read: House Work? What’s That? Caregiving and (Un)Paid Work
Having sole responsibility for care work puts their efficiency under doubt when looking for employment. Simultaneously, if women are focused more on their jobs, society questions their character, motherhood, and orientation towards her family. But what happens during a lockdown, when men no longer are going to their “real job” to keep themselves busy?
Let’s find out by watching this video!
