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Should women be paid for housework?

Unpaid domestic work in India is nearly 40% of the country’s GDP, according to recent estimates. India’s homemakers, like many in different parts of the world, clean, cook and care for their families, accounting for nearly 300 minutes a day. Globally too, women still do the lion’s share of housework.

Should this work – largely seen as thankless household chores – be monetized? Or would it prevent women from stepping out of their homes and taking up formal professions? What could be the unintended consequences of guaranteed income for housewives?

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss whether housework should get remunerated.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Mitali Nikore, development economist, founder of Nikore Associates; Dr Saundarya Rajesh, social entrepreneur, founder and president of Avatar; Prof Prabha Kotiswaran, professor of law and social justice, King’s College London

Release date:

Duration:

24 minutes

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