Empowering women through reducing unpaid work

Abstract

Unpaid work is recognized as a critical barrier to gender equality and women’s economic and social empowerment. Formally categorized as non-market work, unpaid work is not included in gross domestic product (GDP) calculations and remains invisible to decision- and policymakers. Social and cultural gendered norms related to unpaid care work remain stubbornly entrenched. While the ‘men as breadwinners’ and ‘women as caregivers’ model may not be universal, it is still the normative construct for gender relations in the Republic of Moldova. Similar to other countries across the world, women in the Republic of Moldova undertake the majority of unpaid work; in the country the unpaid work is not equally shared by women and men. Moreover, while men work longer hours in paid employment, women continue to work longer total hours than men do overall, bearing a ‘double burden’ or ‘second shift’. The actuality of the subject does exist, for example, when women have access to paid work, they may be able to earn their own income, which can give them a greater degree of independence and autonomy. Additionally, they may be able to gain a greater level of social and economic empowerment, which can help them to improve their lives and the lives of their families. The purpose of the research it is focused on rethinking the care economy and empowering women. An in-depth desk review of the available studies in the Republic of Moldova and worldwide was conducted in order to analyze the empowering women through reducing unpaid work. CZU: 342.734-005.2. JEL: G38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53486/icspm2023.59