Global Agendas, Local Norms: Mobilizing around Unpaid Care and Domestic Work in Asia

Abstract

This article explores the articulation and framing of unpaid care work and the mobilization around it at two spatial scales, the global and national. For the latter it focuses on three of the largest and most diverse countries in Asia — India, China and Indonesia. While the concept of unpaid care work has received considerable attention in international development discourse, it is rarely found in feminist mobilization and advocacy across these countries. The article asks why this issue remains largely excluded from women's political agendas. It also explores how it is framed when it is included. While most organizations recognize women's double burden and the importance of domestic labour, they do not consider ‘unpaid care work’ as a legitimate political issue around which to mobilize. Rather, it is framed, if at all, as part of other political agendas, such as the rights of the elderly (in China), the rights to social protection, especially childcare and maternity entitlements (in India), or the right to equal opportunities within marriage (in Indonesia). The study analyses the differences in framing, the conceptualization of gender equality embedded therein, and the implications for policy.

Adult learning for nutrition security: Challenging dominant values through participatory action research in Eastern India

“…Giving visibility to the unequal gender division of labour and initiating critical discussions around care work as central to nutrition security, was a first step in redistributing work and responsibilities more equitably within households and communities (c.f. Razavi 2007, Rao 2018.…”

Unpaid Care: Global Growth and Policies for Sustainability

“…SDG 5, and its emphasis on recognising women's unpaid care work is long awaited (United Nations, 2015). It follows years of debate and advocacy of both activists and feminist academics highlighting issues of care, social reproduction and seeking to conceptualise unpaid activities as work (Rao, 2018;Taylor, 2004). Global acknowledgement of unpaid care work first came in 1995 at the Fourth International Women's Conference in Beijing (Rao, 2018).…”

Unpaid Care: Global Growth and Policies for Sustainability

“…SDG 5, and its emphasis on recognizing women's unpaid care work, is long awaited (United Nations 2015). It follows years of debate and advocacy of both activists and feminist academics highlighting issues of care, social reproduction and seeking to conceptualize unpaid activities as work (Rao 2018;Taylor 2004). Global acknowledgement of unpaid care work first came in 1995 at the Fourth International Women's Conference in Beijing (Rao 2018).…”

“…It follows years of debate and advocacy of both activists and feminist academics highlighting issues of care, social reproduction and seeking to conceptualize unpaid activities as work (Rao 2018;Taylor 2004). Global acknowledgement of unpaid care work first came in 1995 at the Fourth International Women's Conference in Beijing (Rao 2018). This was later endorsed by Elson (2008) (cited in Rao 2018: 741) who proposed the "three Rs" framework, to "reduce, recognize, and redistribute" women's unpaid care work.…”

“…This was later endorsed by Elson (2008) (cited in Rao 2018: 741) who proposed the "three Rs" framework, to "reduce, recognize, and redistribute" women's unpaid care work. However, the varied understandings and definitions of unpaid care across geographical and socio-cultural locations have implications for families, the state, and the market, in accordance with different policy mechanisms (Rao 2018). Despite moves towards the holistic recognition of unpaid care work in global discourse, women's care work continues to be taken for granted at a policy level (Rao 2018).…”