This explainer by the Institute for Sustainable Empowerment and Justice (ISEJ) addresses unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) in Zimbabwe, framing it not as a private family matter, but as an invisible economic subsidy and a fundamental issue of justice.
Key Takeaways:
- The Invisible Foundation: Unpaid care—cooking, cleaning, fetching water/firewood, child-rearing, and nursing the sick—falls overwhelmingly on women and girls due to entrenched gender norms. It forms the hidden backbone of the economy, yet remains uncounted and uncompensated.
- The “3 Rs” Framework (Aligned with SDG 5.4):
- Recognize: Measure, value, and account for care work in national statistics, budgets, and legislation.
- Reduce: Lower the physical burden and time spent on care work by providing public infrastructure (water, energy, childcare) and functional health systems that do not rely on women to fill healthcare gaps.
- Redistribute: Shift the care load more equitably between men and women within households, as well as between families and the state/market. This involves engaging traditional and religious leaders to transform cultural norms.
- Intersectional Impact: ISEJ highlights how modern crises—such as climate shocks—exacerbate this burden by making essential tasks like collecting water or firewood take longer, further extending women’s workdays.
About the Publisher:
The Institute for Sustainable Empowerment and Justice (ISEJ) is a Zimbabwean non-profit working at the intersection of law, gender equality, public health, climate justice, and narrative change to translate complex policy concepts into practical tools for communities.