Women and Unpaid Labor

This week’s topic on unpaid labor has always been overlooked. Throughout history, women have always taken the role of the homemaker and caretaker, a role that never disappears. Women today often work full-time jobs while still being expected to take on the majority of housework and caregiving responsibilities, reinforcing the notion that a woman’s unpaid labor inside the home is expected rather than valued.

The undervaluation of women’s unpaid labor is extensively examined in Caroline Criado Perez’s Invisible Women. Chapter 3, “The Long Friday,” references statistics that show how even in dual-income households, women still perform the bulk of domestic labor. The “second shift,” mentioned in the reading, refers to the hours of unpaid housework and childcare that disproportionately fall on women’s shoulders after their paid job ends. This expectation is so ingrained in societal structures that many workplaces operate as if their employees have a full-time caregiver at home, a role that often defaults to women.

Chapter 12, “A Costless Resource,” discusses how women’s unpaid labor is treated as an infinite resource by both families and economies. Whether it’s caregiving for elderly relatives or managing household responsibilities, women’s time is rarely seen as something that deserves financial compensation. I was really shocked to find out that women’s unpaid labor could have such a large impact on the GDP. Studies suggest that recognizing and quantifying unpaid work would add trillions of dollars to different countries’ economies; yet, because this work is often dismissed as part of women’s expected roles, it tends to never be brought up in policy and law-making discussions, reinforcing the vicious cycle of undervaluation and exploitation of women.

After talking with my grandmother, I learned more about her time in the workforce. Before becoming a stay-at-home mother, she worked as a history teacher and a national park tour guide, putting her political science degree to good use. However, my grandfather, a doctor and pharmaceutical consultant, would travel quite often for work, which led to my grandmother’s decision to quit her job. Even after leaving the workforce, her labor never stopped; on top of housework, she essentially found something else to occupy her time, caring for her two sons and taking up foster children. Yet, she never stopped being a teacher, as she would often take me to the same museums and exhibits she had once visited with my uncles when they were younger.

Reflecting on these readings and my grandmother’s experience, I see how systematically ingrained these patterns are. Even when women enjoy their paid work, gender roles and other societal expectations challenge their ability to have a healthy work-life balance. Recognizing and valuing women’s unpaid labor is the first step towards a more equitable society.