From women’s unpaid labour to ASHA wages, how are parties addressing the care work economy? | Explained

The Hindu explores economic promises made by political parties to see how the care economy is being addressed in the current electoral landscape.

A rare sight was witnessed at an Amaravati rally— an Indian politician speaking about women’s unpaid labour at home and the cycle of caregiving. “Khana bhojan banati hain, bachcho ke dekhbhaal karti hain. Hindustan ke bhavishya ki raksha karti hain,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on April 25.

Mr. Gandhi’s comment spotlighted a reality: women spend eight to 10 times more time on unpaid care work than men. Every woman works a double shift, according to the Time Use Survey 2019: eight hours of paid labour outside, another eight within households. Their second shift is time spent cooking, looking after children, and safeguarding the future of India. Still, their caregiving at home is not economically valued, and “no government compensates them for this labour.”

The care economy is ubiquitous and undervalued. The web is spun by people, mostly women, partaking in paid and, more frequently, unpaid labour; their responsibilities branch into childcare, domestic chores and elder care. This caregiving reproduces the labour force, replenishes welfare and contributes 7.5% to the GDP. But for women, it gives way to a ‘time poverty,’ reducing the time they can dedicate to paid work or to acquire skills for better jobs. If well-funded, this sector can generate more than 11 million jobs by the end of this decade; 70% of which will go to women, according to a recent report. India, however, spends less than 1% of its GDP on the care economy, reinforcing a system where caregiving is underestimated and underpaid.

There is no proper enumeration or identification of care economy workers in India. The sector includes home makers, Anganwadi workers and ASHAs, domestic workers, social workers, teachers, registered nurses, and doctors, among others, “involved in meeting the physical, psychological and emotional needs of adults and children, old and young, frail and able-bodied,” per the International Labour Organisation. The Hindu sorts through a surfeit of economic promises to see how, and if, the care economy finds mention in the present electoral landscape.

Parties do not mention care givers but promise cash transfers and amenities, such as clean fuel or water supply, that can aid women. Congress’s election manifesto pledges to transfer ₹1 lakh annually to the bank accounts of the oldest female member in the house, for households belonging to economically disadvantaged communities. The Bharatiya Janata Party, on the other hand, promises to expand the Lakhpati Didi scheme — providing interest-free loans to women and offering training — to enable women to earn an income of a similar amount. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and AIADMK have also assured a monthly entitlement of ₹1,000 and ₹3,000 to women respectively.

Other welfare policies have been not pitched as compensations explicitly for the unpaid labour of women. BJP has promised free rations and free electricity; Congress pledges to devise a nationwide plan to provide potable water and inclusion of pulses and cooking via the Public Distribution System (PDS). The DMK has proposed a cap on fuel prices, and CPI(M) has suggested a universalisation of the PDS.

Pledges on health do not mention women or care givers, but Congress promises to offer cashless insurance of up to ₹2.5 million to the poor, whereas CPI(M) pitches free and universal healthcare. BJP echoes its 2019 promise of expanding the Ayushman Bharat Scheme for free health services, and this time, specifies a focus on prevention and reduction of women’s cancers.