This Women’s Month, as we celebrate the resilience, strength, and contributions of women, it is equally important to shed light on a form of labour that too often goes unseen, unrecognised, and uncompensated – unpaid care work. Unpaid care wor refers to the time and effort dedicated to supporting the well-being of others, often stemming from social expectations or personal responsibilities, such as those related to marriage, parenting, or broader community relationships. From cooking, cleaning, collecting water, to caring for children, the sick, and the elderly, this essential work forms the backbone of families, communities, and economies. Molyneux (2002) further describes this form of labour as promoting trust and reciprocity, which strengthens resilience in contexts of poverty or limited state support, through activities as organising school activities, health support groups, and religious or cultural events, which build strong community bonds.

Growing up in the rural Eastern Cape, I saw (and still see) women and girls carry out these activities every day, not as acts of service, but as unquestioned expectations. At the time, it did not seem extraordinary; it was simply life, regarded as natural and necessary. These responsibilities were (still are) rarely questioned, and when they were, the response was often a reminder that this was just the way things had always been. The gendered division of labour was passed down through generations, rooted in tradition and reinforced by silence. And in most cases, the women performing this work do not even recognise the value they bring, not just to their families and communities, but to the broader economy. Instead, many carry a quiet belief that they should still be doing more, unaware that they are already doing the work that keeps everything together.

It was only later, through research and exposure to feminist economic thinking, that I began to understand just how much time and energy is spent on unpaid care, and how this invisible labour nurtures everything else in society. Seeing the data, the hours women and girls spend on unpaid care, the opportunities forgone, and the economic systems built on their invisible contributions, was a turning point. Unpaid care work is the hidden work that holds the world together, yet remains undervalued and disproportionately carried on the backs of women and girls. Recognising it is not just a matter of fairness, it is a necessary step toward meaningful gender justice.

The 2010 South Africa’s Time Use Survey revealed gender gaps in unpaid housework and childcare. Women averaged 195 minutes daily on household maintenance, more than twice men’s 88 minutes, and spent significantly more time on childcare, especially when young children lived in the household (80 minutes for women versus 13 minutes for men). Women, regardless of whether a domestic worker were responsible for most household responsibilities, still shouldered more housework, averaging 128 minutes per day compared to men’s 69 minutes, and in households without one, 199 minutes versus 89 minutes. Figure 1 summarises the daily average time spent on unpaid care work, women versus men.

Figure 1 : Daily average time spent on unpaid care work, women vs men

UN Women’s rapid gender assessments across 38 countries during the pandemic found that unpaid domestic and care work increased for both women and men, but women were more affected. At the time of the study, 28% of women and 16% of men reported doing more domestic work than before COVID-19. While women already carried most of the unpaid care work before the pandemic, both genders reported spending more time on these activities, including childcare (supervising, playing, teaching, feeding, cleaning) and supporting adults (medical care, household tasks, and emotional support). In South Africa, women continued to be more likely than men to report participating in unpaid domestic and care work.

When Covid-19 hit, it exacerbated the existing imbalances in unpaid care work. When South Africa went into a strict lockdown in March 2020, schools and many workplaces closed. Women, who were already carrying the bulk of childcare, faced an even heavier load as they juggled home schooling, caregiving, and reduced or lost employment. 9 Women were disproportionately affected because children were more likely to live with them, and those living with children took on longer hours of care than men. Even girls reported being overburdened with chores and childcare for younger siblings, reinforcing gendered patterns for the next generation. 10 While childcare hours dropped for both genders after schools reopened, the reduction was greater for women, and with many ECD centres still closed, a large share of women continued to shoulder the responsibility alone. 11 This was yet another reminder that the care economy runs on the stubborn weight of gender norms that still decide who does the caring.

To the women who wake up before everyone else to ensure children are fed, dressed, and ready for school, the same children who thrive because of your care. To ooMakhulu who raise their grandchildren and share their wisdom through iintsomi. 13 To the women who ensure their partners leave for work nourished and supported, even when their own needs go unnoticed. To those who tirelessly cook, clean, fetch water, wash clothes, care for the sick, and the elderly, often juggling multiple roles without rest or reward. To the women who carry the emotional and physical weight of keeping households and communities running, even when it comes at the expense of their own ambitions. Your labour may be unpaid, but it is priceless.

Malibongwe igama lamakhosikazi

References

Maestre, M. and Thorpe, J. (2016). Understanding Unpaid Care Work to Empower Women in Market Systems Approaches, Available: https://beamexchange.org/media/filer_public/67/d8/67d89507-ab22-44c5-8e66-bdb17646e1f4/unpaidcarework-report2016.pdf

Molyneux, M. (2002). Gender and the Silences of Social Capital: Lessons from Latin America. Development and Change, 33(2), 167–188.

South Africa conducted Time Use Surveys in 2000 (first) and again in 2010 (the official latest survey). Statistics South Africa. 2013. A Survey of Time Use, 2010. Available: https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/Report-02-02-00/Report-02-02-002010.pdf

UN Women. 2021. Impact of COVID-19 on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in East and Southern Africa. Available: https://data.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/documents/Publications/Impact%20of%20COVID_19%20on%20gender%20equality%20and%20women%20empowerment%20in%20East%20and%20 Southern%20Africa.pdf

Smout, J. (2021). COVID-19 and women’s care responsibilities: opportunities for transforming gender relations. In A. Bosch (Ed.), Women’s Report 2021: Childcare as an enabler of women’s economic participation, Retrieved from https://www.womensreport.africa