The Invisible Backbone: The Unrecognized Political Economy of Women’s Unpaid Care Work in India

Unremunerated care work that women perform in India is the invisible spine of the Indian economy that supports households and ensures social welfare. However, such work is invisible in official economic measures and underappreciated in policy settings. This article explores the political economy of women’s unpaid care work from the perspectives of feminist economics and the GAD perspective. Based on the work of Diane Elson and Nancy Folbre among others, we consider how traditional economic models and patriarchal norms help to render women’s unpaid labor invisible. The feminization of obligation by Sylvia Chant, has resulted to unequally distributed care work to women, restricting them from participation in the formal labor force and thereby perpetuating gender disparities. We then assess the effect of unpaid care work on macroeconomic aggregates and labour market structures and argue for the integration of such work into national accounting systems as recently advocated in amendments made to the System of National Accounts (SNA). Recommended policies include care-responsive budgeting, investment in public care infrastructure and the promotion of shared responsibility via parental leave policies. Acknowledgment of unpaid care work is a key to inclusive growth, as well as for enabling women in India’s development narrative.