Do you think women should be paid for looking after their children and home?

In a recent study done by Oxfam concluded that unpaid work done by women across the globe is worth USD 10 trillion annually. (The mainstream media had to sensationalize it of course; so, some came with dramatic headlines like “Unpaid work done by women worth 43 times Apple’s annual turnover”.)

Talking about India, time spent by women on looking after their children and home is worth 3.0 percent of the country’s GDP.

In urban areas, women spend 291 minutes every day on unpaid care work; in rural areas, they spend 312 minutes per day.

Comparably, men just spend 29 minutes and 32 minutes per day in rural and urban areas respectively.

The report from Oxfam reveals many other numbers and facts, including:

· 26 richest people in the world own as much wealth as the poorest 50 percent.

· 9 richest individuals in India own wealth equivalent to 50 percent of the population.

· The wealth of the richest 1 percent in India grew by 39 percent; the growth was only 3 percent for the bottom half of the country.

(Read these numbers again.)

Oxfam is a group of 20 independent charity organizations that primarily work to fight poverty and inequality.

Also read: Is it true that working mothers manage time more efficiently?

(Courtesy: The Lily)

Coming back to the context of your question:

Yes, economic inequality exists between women and men—even until this day when, contrary to the radical feminist movement, opportunities are laid equally for both the genders.

However, contending for inequality and putting forward the feminist agenda through “unpaid work was done by women” is quite absurd.

Someone has to stay at home and do the household chores and take care of the children…

· Traditionally, women used to do this. They still do. Of course, today, it’s utterly wrong if they are not given a choice in this matter.

· More and more men, today, are fine staying at home and taking care of babies.

· Many women voluntarily choose to stay at home and NOT work outside.

· One of the two genders has to compromise. Unjustifiably, women compromise more. (Note: compromise is really a cornerstone of any successful relationship.)

· Even if both the parents work in the office, they would have to hire a nanny and/or maid, who, in current demographics, will be women. Isn’t it ironical that one woman, in the farce of feminism, is forcing another woman to do her chores?

Besides, I cannot name even one single mother in this world who wants salary to take care of her children. The moment they have children, everything changes for them. Yes, there are exceptions and degree of emotions vary but and large, mothers don’t count it as even work.

Yes, women are not paid for looking after the kids and homes. But how many of them really want to get paid in the first place? Do mothers really want money for taking care of their kids?

(Courtesy: Women’s Agenda)

We’re too money-centric here. What about the non-materialistic return women get when taking care of their children? What about the psychological benefits they enjoy by being close to the little ones?

In many countries, parents actually report being happier than non-parents.

Raising a kid, even with all the challenges, is a very happy experience. And this is something that’s worth more than any amount of money.

The problem with studies that highlight unpaid work done by women with an undertone of feminism on-offense is that they don’t (and can’t) measure the happiness many women experience when taking care of their children and home. This becomes even more prevalent when you focus on the stress men take at work.

To answer your question…

Women shouldn’t get paid for taking care of their children and home. That’s not even possible. Or, on the contrary, the household income that the other partner brings is, in fact, the rewards for their job.

Besides, again, taking care of their children is bigger than any monetary rewards they can demand.

Excuse me if that sounds very conservative. But coming to the libertarian view…

· One of the parents has to be at home to take care of kids. Who? The women and men should have EQUAL say or choice in this matter.

· To bring balance in the cultural gap, I believe, men should go out of their way to encourage women to work.

· Even if men are staying at home and taking care of babies, they shouldn’t be paid for that.

The solution to gender inequality isn’t about picking radical views that post-modern feminists have been deploying in their arguments as of late. It’s not about spreading extreme propaganda.

To fix gender inequality, in terms of pay and choice, requires us to understand the cultural dynamics and work around it, in mutual consent with men.

We’re living in one of the best times in humanity where both women and men are provided with equal opportunities. There are many limitations for women to leverage on those opportunities— like less bargaining power in salary negotiation, poor literacy rate, parents deciding to drop their girl child out of school, and an overall orthodoxy where 33 percent of men feel that it’s acceptable to beat women.

(Interestingly, according to another study, in India, 52 percent of women think it’s okay for their husband to beat them; 42 percent of men agree with this. Source)

The way to the utopian scenario is all about thinking constructively and working collectively. Radical views such as demanding pay for unpaid work that women do will do NO good to anyone.