Chikunga calls for increased investment in the care economy

Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga has called for increased investment in Africa’s care economy, saying it could boost employment, grow economies and advance gender equality.

Marking the International Day of Care and Support on Thursday, Chikunga said investment in care services and infrastructure is essential to addressing the disproportionate burden of unpaid care carried by women and girls while creating decent work opportunities.

“Care is not a cost to be deferred. It is the foundation of the Africa we want,” the Minister said.

She cited estimates showing that women in African countries with available time-use data spend an average of four hours and 23 minutes daily on unpaid care work, compared with one hour and 18 minutes for men. Care responsibilities also restrict women’s opportunities to access education, employment, entrepreneurship and leadership positions.

The Minister said the economic contribution of unpaid care work remains largely unrecognised in public policies and budgets, despite its importance to households, communities and national economies.

She pointed to estimates valuing unpaid care and domestic work at 23.1% of gross domestic product (GDP) in Kenya, at least 34.5% in Morocco, 16.8% in Ethiopia and 16.3% in Senegal. In Mali, women’s unpaid work alone was estimated at 17.6% of GDP.

“Care is therefore not marginal to our economies. It is one of their hidden foundations.”

Chikunga called for improved investment in essential services and infrastructure, including water and sanitation, clean energy, safe transport, childcare, early childhood development, healthcare, disability support and long-term care.

She said inadequate access to these services intensified the burden on women and girls, particularly in communities where households relied on them to collect water and fuel and perform other unpaid domestic tasks.

Investment in these services can reduce the time spent on unpaid care, improve access to education and employment, and create jobs in care provision and related sectors.

The Minister also highlighted the need to improve conditions for paid care workers, many of whom face low wages, informal employment, inadequate social protection and unsafe working conditions.

“A care economy built on low-paid and unprotected labour cannot deliver quality care, dignity or inclusive development,” the Minister said.

Common African Position on Care Work

Chikunga said South Africa is advancing the Common African Position on Care Work as a continental framework to guide policy development, strengthen cooperation and mobilise sustainable investment in care systems.

The framework is aligned with the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) 5 Rs Framework, which calls for recognising the value of care work, reducing the time and drudgery associated with unpaid care, redistributing care responsibilities more equitably, rewarding paid care workers through decent working conditions and ensuring their representation in decision-making.

The Minister called for these commitments to be backed by stronger domestic resource mobilisation, gender-responsive budgeting and identifiable, trackable allocations for care-related services. She also urged governments to protect care spending during fiscal adjustments arising from debt obligations, economic shocks, climate emergencies and conflict.

She cited ILO modelling which indicates that a comprehensive package of care policies can increase Africa’s employment rate by 7.5 percentage points by 2035 and raise GDP by up to 6% above projected baseline levels. The projections illustrate the potential economic benefits of expanding care services and improving support for caregivers.

Chikunga called on governments, parliaments, employers, organised labour, development partners and civil society to work together to translate commitments into action through coordinated policies, sustainable financing and stronger accountability.

Challenging norms

She also stressed the importance of sharing care responsibilities more equitably between women and men, including through parental leave, family-friendly workplace policies and efforts to challenge discriminatory social norms.

“Above all, we call on every African to recognise that care concerns us all. Men and boys must share care responsibilities. Communities must value caregivers. Governments must finance and regulate care systems. Those who provide and receive care must be heard,” the Minister said.

Chikunga emphasised that transforming the care economy is essential to advancing women’s economic empowerment, decent work, human capital development and sustainable growth across the continent. – SAnews.gov.za

 

Source: Original report at SAnews.gov.za.