Although a homemaker is expected to take care of household chores such as cooking, cleaning, buying groceries, caring for, and nursing, work is not considered an economic activity. , Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
There are about 160 million women in India who work as housewives. According to data from the National Sample Survey Organization, a woman spends an average of 297 minutes a day on household chores, while a man contributes only 31 minutes a day. The job of a housewife includes day-to-day household chores such as cooking, cleaning, buying groceries, caring and nursing, managing household staff, budgeting, etc. However, building a house is not a profession. It is not considered an economic activity. This not only diminishes the importance of the job but also alienates those who participate in it, mostly women. In India the words woman and housewife are often used interchangeably.
We often overlook the fact that if we hire professionals to do the above mentioned tasks, we have to pay them. So, what do we pay the lakhs of housewives who do these chores every day? On careful examination, it can be seen that the activity of housewives directly affects the macroeconomic performance. For example, housewives navigate the market for fruits and vegetables and also decide on the consumption of dairy products for their families. These are the two biggest markets in India, worth trillions of rupees. The products of these markets are used in every household of all sections of the society. This makes housewives the largest consumer base in the economy. Additionally, it is the homemaker who does the budgeting and savings in the household. Since household savings are the largest contributor to gross domestic savings, this reflects the impact of housewives on national savings. This saving boosts investment expenditure and, in turn, GDP. Therefore, the two major determinants of the economy – consumption and savings – are directly dependent on the housewives.
Our society tends to limit homemaking to a handful of stereotypes. It is traditionally accepted that building a house is a woman’s job. It adversely affects the nature of a woman’s life. For example, in rural areas, girls are denied education and vocational training, but they are ready to take care of their families after marriage. They are seen as dependent on their husbands. However, these men who act as economic agents and receive monetary compensation for their work are directly dependent on their wives for their sustenance. Therefore, it follows that the physical and mental health of housewives is linked to the well-being of men, and consequently to the productivity of the economy.
Women’s involvement in domestic work is also a reason for their low participation in the labor force in all sectors. Despite growth in GDP, education levels and household income, the participation of women in the country’s labor force remains very low. Over 90% of women do unpaid domestic work, compared to only 27% of men. On the other hand, only 22% of women were employed as compared to 71% of men. The data are based on a national sample survey of 2019.
Domestic work should be formalized and quantified in monetary terms. This will give clarity about the magnitude of economic activities in India. Prabha Koteswaran (Professor, King’s College London) describes how Indian courts offered compensation to the families of housewives who died in road accidents. The courts considered the opportunity cost of women’s work at home, minimum wages for workers, educational qualifications, age, number of children, etc. Based on this, they calculated the monetary compensation to be given to the family of the deceased.
Moreover, since household savings are generated by women, they should also learn the emerging aspects of personal finance. Earlier, savings were either invested in real estate or gold, but today a vast array of financial assets exist. Vocational skills should be actively imparted to women to ensure their employability. This will improve the socio-economic status of women and encourage men to participate in household work. We must ensure that domestic work is treated as an economic activity and becomes an option for all, not just women, like any other paid job.
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