Thankless Errands: Women’s unpaid labour for centuries

Unpaid care and domestic work are valued to be 10 and 39 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product and can contribute more to the economy than the manufacturing, commerce, or transportation sectors.

Most people claim women bring nothing to the table because what women bring to the table is not measured to be as crucial as financial provision in the majority of cultures that uphold gender roles. These gender roles were a norm centuries ago when women were not allowed to work, but “by the early 1990s, the labor force participation rate of prime working-age women — those between the ages of 25 and 54 — reached just over 74 percent, compared with roughly 93 percent for prime working-age men.” In the 21st century, the rate of women in the workforce has grown exponentially, but gender roles remain. Women are expected to carry out gender roles alongside maintaining a career. 

Data from The International Labour Organization shows that “an estimated 708 million women worldwide are outside the labour force because of unpaid care responsibilities, according to new ILO global estimates, released on Tuesday, on the occasion of the International Day of Care and Support. In 2023, 748 million people (aged 15 or older) were not participating in the global labor force because of care responsibilities, accounting for a third of all working-age persons outside of the labor force. Of these, 708 million were women and 40 million were men.”
The consistent pressure on women to provide free care, do house chores, clean, and cook, amongst other uncompensated tasks, eats deeply into their time to explore personal interests or simply relax. Gender roles are norms in most cultures and it is passed down to generations. 

In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Letter Dear Ijeawele, On a feminist manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, the writer unpacks gender roles in suggestion 3 by stating, “the knowledge of cooking does not come pre-installed in a vagina. Cooking is learned. Cooking — domestic work in general — is a life skill that both men and women should ideally have. It is also a skill that can elude both men and women….Gender roles are so deeply conditioned in us that we will often follow them even when they chafe against our true desires, our needs, our happiness. They are very difficult to unlearn, so it is important to try to make sure that Chizalum rejects them from the beginning. Instead of letting her internalize the idea of gender roles, teach her self-reliance. Tell her that it is important to be able to do for herself and fend for herself. Teach her to try to fix physical things when they break. We are quick to assume girls can’t do many things. Let her try. She might not fully succeed, but let her try. Buy her toys like blocks and trains — and dolls, too, if you want to.” Women are conditioned to accept these roles and even view women who opt out as rebellious or callous. Gender roles put women in a box resulting in society demanding more from women than the average man. 

Research by The Brookings states women struggle to reach the upper echelon in their careers because gender roles have a disproportionately large effect on women who continue to bear the lion’s share of domestic and child-rearing responsibilities.

How women go to every length to ensure everyone is comfortable, especially during this festive period, is a reflection of Nicola Jane Hobbs’s quote, “Growing up, I never knew a relaxed woman. Successful women? Yes. Productive women? Plenty. Anxious and afraid and apologetic women? Heaps of them. But relaxed women? At-ease women? Women who don’t dissect their days into half-hour slots of productivity? Women who prioritize rest and pleasure and play? Women who aren’t afraid to take up space in the world? Women who give themselves unconditional permission to relax? Without guilt? Without apology? Without feeling like they need to earn it? I’m not sure I’ve ever met a woman like that. But I would like to become one.”