Unpaid Care and Domestic Work

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Viet Nam
Delegate Name: Harpreet Kaur

Unpaid care and domestic work have long been critical yet undervalued aspects of the global economy, disproportionately carried out by women. In 2018, the International Labor Organization reported that women performed 76.2% of unpaid labor hours worldwide. Oxfam estimates that if paid the national minimum wage for these hours, the total would amount to $10.8 trillion annually. This labor includes domestic tasks such as cooking, cleaning, fetching water and firewood, and caring for children, disabled family members, and the elderly, duties that traditionally fall to women. This responsibility can hinder women’s access to education and employment, decreasing their earning potential and forcing them to choose between work and family care.

Viet Nam has been actively addressing the issue of unpaid care and domestic work performed by women. The National Strategy for Gender Equality 2011-2020 aimed to reduce women’s involvement in household duties to half that of men by 2015 and to one and a half times less by 2020. Furthermore, Viet Nam’s National Action Plan for implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda commits to promoting equality in family care. This plan recognizes the significance of unpaid labor and domestic work while also enhancing public services to alleviate burdens associated with forced labor. In addition to these efforts, nationwide campaigns have been launched to raise awareness about the importance of gender equality and to challenge traditional gender roles. The government has also made significant investments in childcare, healthcare, and other social services, which help to lighten the exploitative labor burden on women and enable them to participate more fully in the labor market. Despite these efforts, Viet Nam continues to face challenges due to data limitations, cultural norms, and resource constraints.

The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam is dedicated to collaborating with the global community to discover a solution to the ongoing crisis worldwide. We firmly believe that by fostering constructive discussions, promoting cooperation among countries, and demonstrating mutual respect for all parties involved, we can effectively establish lasting and sustainable gender equality.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Viet Nam
Delegate Name: Harpreet Kaur

Unpaid care and domestic work have long been critical yet undervalued aspects of the global economy, disproportionately carried out by women. In 2018, the International Labor Organization reported that women performed 76.2% of unpaid labor hours worldwide. Oxfam estimates that if paid the national minimum wage for these hours, the total would amount to $10.8 trillion annually. This labor includes domestic tasks such as cooking, cleaning, fetching water and firewood, and caring for children, disabled family members, and the elderly, duties that traditionally fall to women. This responsibility can hinder women’s access to education and employment, decreasing their earning potential and forcing them to choose between work and family care.

Viet Nam has been actively addressing the issue of unpaid care and domestic work performed by women. The National Strategy for Gender Equality 2011-2020 aimed to reduce women’s involvement in household duties to half that of men by 2015 and to one and a half times less by 2020. Furthermore, Viet Nam’s National Action Plan for implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda commits to promoting equality in family care. This plan recognizes the significance of unpaid labor and domestic work while also enhancing public services to alleviate burdens associated with forced labor. In addition to these efforts, nationwide campaigns have been launched to raise awareness about the importance of gender equality and to challenge traditional gender roles. The government has also made significant investments in childcare, healthcare, and other social services, which help to lighten the exploitative labor burden on women and enable them to participate more fully in the labor market. Despite these efforts, Viet Nam continues to face challenges due to data limitations, cultural norms, and resource constraints.

The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam is dedicated to collaborating with the global community to discover a solution to the ongoing crisis worldwide. We firmly believe that by fostering constructive discussions, promoting cooperation among countries, and demonstrating mutual respect for all parties involved, we can effectively establish lasting and sustainable gender equality.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Niger
Delegate Name: Rebecca Panebianco

Rebecca Panebianco
Niger
Mattawan High School
UN Women – Unpaid care and domestic work

Women in Niger spend a disproportionate amount of their time on unpaid labor, which limits their opportunities for education, employment, and participation in political and economic life. This inequality has long-term consequences for the country’s development and economic growth.
In Niger, like many countries in West Africa, women bear the brunt of unpaid care and domestic work. This includes tasks such as cooking, cleaning, fetching water, and caring for children and the elderly. A significant portion of this work is not recognized or compensated, despite its critical role in sustaining families and communities.
The time spent on unpaid care work severely limits women’s ability to engage in paid employment or education. This contributes to the gender gap in income and employment, as well as lower levels of female representation in political processes.
Niger recognizes the importance of addressing unpaid care and domestic work in order to promote gender equality and achieve sustainable development. Niger also supports the development of social protection policies to provide financial support to those involved in unpaid care work. However, the country faces significant resource constraints and requires international support to make meaningful progress in this area.
Niger calls for international cooperation to invest in infrastructure that reduces the time women spend on domestic tasks, particularly in rural areas.
The government is eager to collaborate with international partners to implement policies and programs to recognise the value of domestic labor. Through coordinated efforts, Niger aims to reduce the gender gap and ensure that all women, regardless of their rural or urban status, can access equal opportunities

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Greece
Delegate Name: Monia Abbas

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Greece
Delegate Name: Monia Abbas

Unpaid care and domestic work refers to the fact that women who are actively working such as cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry, and taking care of others like their children or parents of theirs or their spouses are not paid. Women for decades have been given the responsibility to become caretakers and as such have never even thought about getting paid for the work that makes up the vast majority of their lives.

Greece women spend an average of 282 minutes, or over four and a half hours, looking after the house, shopping, cooking, and taking care of children, compared with 59 minutes for men making Greece the European country where men do least. According to a magister thesis written in the spring semester of 2023 by a student named Anastasia Vogiatzi from Umeå University, Umeå Centre for Gender Studies, “Women dedicate nearly three times more than men daily to housework, even when employed in paid jobs. Age-wise, the gender gap persists, increasing with age. Core household tasks such as cooking, house cleaning, and laundry are dominated by women, while men spend more time on activities like gardening and repairs.” There are many more statistics that support this fact such as how women and girls aged 15+ spend 18.1% of their time on unpaid care and domestic work, compared to 7% spent by men. “The traditionally patriarchal Greek family views education as a paramount priority for its members. Until World War II it used to promote education of its male members. Afterwards, however, modernization of ways of thinking, state education policies and socioeconomic advancement led to increased participation of women in the education system (Asimaki and Vergidis 2013). Still, despite their educational level and chances for a prosperous career, Greek women until the 1950s had been trapped in the ideal of domesticity” as is said by the directorate general for internal policies, Policy department c: citizens’ rights and constitutional affairs. Culturally because it is something that everyone has come to think of as usual, it is normalized to the point where while citizens may see a problem, they would not know why a solution is needed.

As this is an issue taking place in many countries, Greece believes that there needs to be a basic solution that each country can take and bend to their will to create a proposition that will fit the needs of their citizens and their needs. As per Greece’s needs, we believe that there needs to be more childcare centers built so that it is easier for women to find a place to have their children taken care of while they work as well as create a new parental leave policy that will be put in place for both men and women to decrease the stress of having a offspring. We also encourage every woman who has had children or plans to have them to communicate what they believe is necessary or would be appreciated to decrease the number unpaid care taking place and increase the number of women in the workplace.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Jordan
Delegate Name: Elizabeth Torres-Salas

Integrated within the cultural dynamic of the country, the role of women in caretaking positions comes as a way between the people and the state. The difference between the workforce and underpaid labor is connected. Those who are least likely to be in the workforce, most of the time being women, are more likely to be underpaid for their labor. To combat this, the government has been able to provide resources that would help with the redistribution of unpaid labor at the state level. In the past decades, the implantation policies, such as required paid leave, have been in place since the mid-1990s and have been continuously updated. Yet there is still so much improvement that can be made to help better the unpaid labor that is faced in Jordan.
In 2010, Jordan placed a system that allows for employer-based maternity leave, which requires employers to put .75% of their payroll into the government. This helps contribute to workers as a whole, not just women. By 2019, there was an increase in laws surrounding care, with new laws being made regarding labor, nurseries, and early childhood care and education services. The 2019 labor law is amended to have included paid maternity leave and also includes three days paid leave for the fathers as well, despite this advancement, the effects of the law have yet to be seen due to the timing of the pandemic. Article 72 under the Jordanian labor law enforces more regulations with nurseries, clearly stating worker limits and child age and number limits. This article also announces the governmental plan to build 80 nurseries and create 700 new jobs. The increase in nurseries plans to help with the care of the children of the country as well as employ hundreds of new people who can add to the workforce, mostly in urban areas. Along with the nurseries, the Ministry of Education said that kindergarten will be mandatory for children ages 5-6. This will help increase the advantages of children throughout the country. Elder care is another subject that Jordan plans to accentuate further. Many women throughout Jordan are left to care for elders and/or those with disabilities. As of the current day, there is no official policy regarding the extra spending or care that comes with looking after the chronically ill or disabled; this is a topic that Jordan wishes to improve on.
The topic of unpaid care and domestic work is a subject that Jordan has been improving with and plans to work on more in the future. The past few decades have shown an increase in laws that aim to better this issue, and Jordan is still currently proposing new methods that they can use to improve. With the recent increase of laws and regulations in 2019, there is still time to see how those laws will affect Jordan in a long term sense. Overall Jordan hopes to help lessen the unpaid care and domestic work that women face in the country.
Sources: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2024/10/care-a-critical-investment-for-gender-equality-and-the-rights-of-women-and-girls
https://ardd-jo.org/publication/care-matters-the-value-of-womens-unpaid-care-work-in-jordan/

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Sierra Leone
Delegate Name: Priya Mahabir

For over two decades, women from Sierra Leone have continued to fight for equality. Currently, women spend around 2.5-2.8 times more hours unpaid and domestic than men. Of the gross domestic product (GPD) 10-39% of unpaid and domestic work goes towards the economy than other sectors. Unfortunately, since women get paid less they have to devote more time to working instead of other activities. However, in the past, global trends had prompted women to work more unpaid hours than now. At the moment, by 2050 Sierra Leone wants to have little to no difference in pay between genders. Although, in the mid-1800s Sierra Leone depended on women’s Unpaid work, it was almost essential to the economy. Now Sierra Leone has gone down significantly and has one of the lowest gender equality rates. It was 40% of the country’s GDP. West Africa used to have the highest gender equality rate in the world; women were the most affected by poverty, discrimination, and exploitation. Women to this day are affected by incredibly high amounts of poverty because all together Africa has one of the most highest and extreme poverty rates. Women face numerous amounts of different types of discrimination ranging from basic education all the way to the government and the legal system. Of women running from 15-49 around 60% of them get abused or exploited throughout Sierra Leone; sixty percent of women have experienced physical and or sexual violence.

Sierra Leonor has gotten help from the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act for around 22 years. There is a National Gender plan and a National plan: reducing violence against women, education for women and girls, and economic empowerment of women. Sierra Leone is trying to improve its country by slowly getting rid of its’ unpaid work for women and not enforcing child labor. By the acts and laws, Sierra has and is trying to enforce they’re trying to make it easier for women to be equal. The Sexual Offense Act was to help children when they were being sexually abused. The Domestic Violence Act was to provide women protection when they had been domesticated. To increase women’s education they started to make school free and provide more scholarships. They also enforced The Girls’ Acess to Education (GATE) which works with government and communities to support women in their education.

Sierra Leone wants to prioritize gender equality and completely get rid of the burden of unpaid work. They want to make it more known around the country and create more organizations, so it’s more recognizable. They want to start gradually adding women into politics to get new ideas: access to the same education, get paid the same, and actually include women in events other than work and just overall opportunities. Gender equality has always been a struggle, since the start of time, but as of now men shouldn’t be the ones always running the country.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: India
Delegate Name: Fiona Rodrigues

Domestic care can range from cleaning to taking care of children but regardless, unpaid care and domestic work is a serious problem. It keeps women out of economic jobs which are jobs that could really advance women in society rather than be put in a shadow. In our constitution we guarantee all men and women equal rights, but we would always love to further this equality our nation stands for.
Unpaid care is really good and helpful to the economy because our economy would crumble if we did not have unpaid care, most people cannot afford it. merely 22 percent of women are engaged in the workforce, and out of them, 70 percent are associated with the farm activities that are informal in nature with little or no economic remuneration or social recognition and almost zero access to social protection. We see this as a very large problem here and we would love to find a solution for these issues. This kind of work that renders women invisible is only setting back the feminist movement. On an average, across the globe, men spent 83 min in unpaid domestic work while women spent 265 min, i.e., more than three times the time spent by men. However, in India, women spend around 297 min, whereas only 31 min are spend by men in domestic work.
This sort of discrimination is happening due to many societal norms in india and also the caste system. India has officially disavowed the caste system and we remain that way. Unfortunately, there are still some lingering effects of that system in our community, this could be a cause for this issue. We are the most populated country in the world! We have over 650 million women in our country. India is proud to be apart of the UN women and we are proud to support women with this which is why we want to work to improve conditions on this issue across this world and in our own country. Thank you.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Iran
Delegate Name: Daniel Hernanz

Women have been and will always be the pillars of society. From childbearing to caring for the elderly, and other domestic work, women support the familial structures that make up the base of every society, doing the type of work that is unpaid and takes unwavering discipline. Due to this, the delegation of Iran is not oblivious to the importance of women in Iranian society, and therefore, Iran believes that supporting women in this type of work is extremely important to the well being of each country.

Iran has taken many steps to support the unpaid work of women, such as extending the paid maternity leave from six to nine months and granting fathers a two-week paternity leave in 2013. Iran’s approach to this issue is always closely tied to the promotion of traditional Islamic family values, which the country sees as of utmost importance when discussing this topic. In the U.N., Iran has supported resolutions that encouraged governments to take measures to support unpaid work and account for it in their national policies. Iran has adopted several development plans through the Center for Women’s Participation, which have included orders to assess women’s educational and athletic needs, increasing women’s employment opportunities, and improving injustices women faced in the legal system, emphasized empowering women in society while identifying legal barriers, such as women’s lack of protection from violence and strengthening civil society empowerment as the areas the government should focus on.

More recently though, Iran has struggled with its relations with other countries, primarily through the U.N.. In 2022, in a 29 to 8 decision, with 16 abstaining, Iran was ousted from the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women for its current term (2022-2026), becoming the first country in the U.N. to be expelled from a U.N. commission. This happened following the death of Mahsa Amini, after she was beaten on her way to custody after being arrested for wearing her headscarf improperly, she fell into a coma and died three days later. Iran has rejected and condemned this resolution and expulsion, on each country’s right to national sovereignty and to representation in the U.N.. The delegation of Iran believes that it is shameful that so many countries supported this resolution, using the U.N. as a political tool rather than actually trying to find solutions to the problems faced. Amir Saeid Jalil Iravani spoke before the vote, saying: “It is not at all unexpected that the United States is taking such unlawful action against Iran, given its long-standing hostility towards the Iranian people, but if carried out, it would be exceedingly dangerous to the UN system integrity.” The Iranian delegation still agrees with this view, and believes that western countries, such as the U.S., set up double standards for countries like Iran, as they condemn many actions that Iran takes while they still have many problems they don’t deal with.

It is with this context that the delegation of Iran will enter this committee, looking forward for the committee to meet three main goals that will ensure each country’s right to national sovereignty, equal representation and respect each country’s culture and customs:

First, Iran encourages all countries in this committee to find unilateral and unbiased solutions. The Iranian delegation reiterates that the U.N. is a place for all countries to discuss and come forward with plausible solutions, and that it shouldn’t be used as a political tool to undermine some and overpower others.

Second, reiterating the first point, Iran urges each country to take into account the different cultures of this committee, and that due to that, different words have different meanings to different countries. Language is a very important factor in this kind of issue, and it often comes in the way of passing international legislation. Iran just simply encourages all countries to not let language be the thing that stops a potential solution from passing.

Third, the delegation of Iran rejects all double standards that different countries might try to impose and have imposed in the past. Although this seems like a repetition of the first goal, it has happened so much that Iran believes it is important to reiterate it further. Iran would just like to state that a lot of nations that condemn it for its alleged bad treatment of women have struggles with this problem. This is just to say that other countries can judge them just as easily as they judge others.

In conclusion, Iran looks forward to collaborating with all of its fellow delegates, and believes that as long as the committee prioritizes finding actual solutions instead of playing political games, doing so with the last three points, that this committee will be able to come to a resolution in which every party benefits.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Israel
Delegate Name: Taylor Winkelman

Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
City High School
Israel
Taylor Winkelman

In many countries and societies, care work is seen as “women’s work”. Women make up a majority of the workers that partake in domestic and care work. If women were paid minimum wage for care work, the industry would be valued at 11 trillion dollars. This work is what most consider to be housework and childcare, but it is nevertheless critical to the functioning of societies. Some of those societies perpetuate the idea that women are solely responsible for household upkeep and childcare. In Egypt, women do 24 hours of unpaid care work a week with a female’s time to male’s time spent ratio of 12:1. Countless other countries follow this same trend of women pulling all the weight.

In developing countries, the situation is stressed even more, as women are expected to fetch food and water. In Nepal, the time it takes to retrieve basic human resources deters many women from joining the workforce. Working women across the world struggle with balancing their home life with care work, which creates disparage between men seeking higher paying jobs and women seeking higher paying jobs. Women spend 62 hours on paid and unpaid work a week in India, while men spend only 48 hours.

Israel has supported countless resolutions by the United Nations, including the Beijing Platform and Declaration for Action, which outlines helping girls receive a 12-year education. Education will give women opportunities to join the workforce and to get paid for the work they do. The effects of many resolutions from th United Nations and other international organizations have increased women’s literacy rate from 80 percent in 1995 to 90 percent now. With more initiatives to close the gap between men’s and women’s contributions to domestic and care work, Israel believes we can get closer to equality inside and outside the workforce

Works Cited
“Gender norms and unpaid work – UNICEF DATA.” UNICEF Data, https://data.unicef.org/topic/gender/gender-norms-and-unpaid-work/. Accessed 27 November 2024.
Hasson, Yael, and Noga Dagan Buzaglo. “The Care Deficit in Israel: What it Means and How it Can be Reduced.” Adva Center, February 2019. Accessed 27 November 2024.
UNICEF. “A new era for girls.” 04 March 2020, https://data.unicef.org/resources/a-new-era-for-girls-taking-stock-of-25-years-of-progress/. Accessed 27 November 2024.
“Unpaid care and domestic work | POWER Project.” POWER Project, https://powerproject.actionaid.org/module/unpaid-care-and-domestic-work/. Accessed 27 November 2024.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: South Africa
Delegate Name: Ananya Arulmurugan

Unpaid care and Domestic work have been a prevalent issue worldwide for a while, and though some improvements have been made worldwide, even the most progressive countries still have advancements to be made. Unpaid care is defined as providing care or performing domestic tasks without compensation. It includes childcare, elderly care, domestic tasks, and more. Women do a disproportionate amount of unpaid care, a serious topic that must be addressed in the United Nations. If women made minimum wage for the hours of unpaid care they put in, the sum would add up to $10.8 trillion per year internationally. Women perform 72.6% of unpaid work, and the United Nations aims to reduce that gap. Combatting this gap is a complex, multifaceted issue that must be addressed with a variety of solutions addressing societal norms, education, and care.
The issue of unpaid care is vast in South Africa, though some actions have been taken to address it. In South Africa, as in many other countries, women bear the bulk of unpaid care work, including childcare, eldercare, cooking, cleaning, and other household chores. The heavy burden of unpaid care work limits women’s ability to participate fully in the formal economy. This contributes to South Africa’s extremely high levels of gender-based poverty. Actions that have been taken to address this topic include the NPGE, which acknowledges the role of unpaid care in achieving gender equality. South Africa has also implemented various social transfer programs that aid this progress, such as child support, elderly support, and disability grants. These all improve caretakers’ situations and help alleviate their problems. Another pivotal instrument in progressing women’s rights is the presence of gender equality campaigns. Changing gender norms and cultural mindsets is vital to take the next step.
As this is such a vast issue affecting a multitude of countries, South Africa believes it is imperative to create a complex solution that addresses the need of all member states. For this to work, it is especially crucial to put developing countries at the forefront of all discourse on this topic. Women in developing countries face a disproportionate amount of gender-based discrimination and obligation to do unpaid care, so it is necessary to put their voices at the head of the conversation. South Africa cautions against falling into the trap of prioritizing well-funded, developed countries, as their need for a solution is significantly lower. A well-balanced mix of gender equality campaigns to address deep rooted cultural norms, education to increase women’s prevalence in the workforce, and social welfare programs to help reduce the burden on domestic care workers.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Canada
Delegate Name: Sage England

Unpaid Care and Domestic Work is work done in the home by family members for maintenance and well-being of family without pay, such as child care, cooking, and cleaning. Globally, and in Canada, women perform the majority of this work, carrying out two and a half times more unpaid household care work than men. Their contributions are undervalued and underappreciated. Unpaid Care and Domestic Work is valued to be 10-39% of the Gross Domestic Product in the Dominion of Canada, and can contribute more to the economy than certain paid labor. It is valued at over 10 trillion dollars worldwide. As a result, women around the world face difficulties and have little time to obtain an education or work in paid labor. Women’s unpaid labor in and outside the home sustains families across the world, and it is essential to Canadian families, communities, and society to function, but is unfairly placed only on women to perform. The Dominion of Canada, as well as UN Women aims to improve gender equality, women’s empowerment, and labor market participation in The Dominion of Canada by solving this issue. The United Nations has addressed this issue in Resolution 66/130 ‘Women in Development’ to attempt to solve this issue.

In The Dominion of Canada, Unpaid Care and Domestic Work is just as expansiveof an issue as it is everywhere else in the world. The Dominion of Canada has a number of policies on Unpaid Care and Domestic work in the ‘Women in Development’ resolution, including recognition and value of underpaid work (integrating unpaid labor into national accounts), redistribution of care responsibilities (responsibilities shared between men and women), provision of public services and infrastructure (Call for investments in public services and infrastructure to reduce the burden of unpaid care), social protection measures (Caregiver allowances, tax credits, and pensions for unpaid caregivers), educational and advocacy campaigns (discussion about the need for public awareness on gender stereotypes and unpaid work), and data collection and reporting (encourage member states to improve data collection on Unpaid Care and Domestic Work). Globally, The Dominion of Canada has developed a programme that addresses Unpaid Care and Domestic Work, founded on Canada’s ‘Feminist International Assistance Policy’, which speaks about gender equality around the world to create an inclusive, united world. The programme seeks to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, the well-being of children and those cared for, the economy, and women’s access to the labor force as well as decent work opportunities. To meet these objectives, The Dominion of Canada will focus on the development and implementation of this programme to ensure women’s empowerment and equality is addressed by creating stand-alone initiatives to promote Unpaid Care and Domestic Work in a gender-transformative way to benefit everyone, broadening the Canadian perspective on Gender Equality. Conventions and resolutions that address the issue of Unpaid Care and Domestic Work include the ‘Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women’ (CEDAW) (1979), the ‘International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ (ICESCR) (1966), ‘Resolution 66/130: Women in Development’ (2012), ‘Resolution 64/217: World Survey on the Role of Women in Development’ (2009),’Resolution 58/142: Improvement of the Situation of Women in Rural Areas’ (2003), and ‘Resolution 70/1: Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ (2015). Canadian officials such as Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Katrina Chen, the Former Minister of State for Child Care in British Columbia, and Katrina Gould, the Minister of Children, Family, and Social Development, have all spoken on the topic of Unpaid Care and Domestic Work. International officials who spoke on the topic of Unpaid Care and Domestic Work include Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Former Executive Director of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Jacinda Ardern, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand. The Dominion of Canada stands united with the United Nations, the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the International Labour Organization, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, G7, G20, The Commonwealth of Nations, and The Organisation of American States in addressing the issue of Unpaid Care and Domestic Work. An upwards of 2 million people worldwide engage in Unpaid Care and Domestic Work, women in many countries spending more than 50% of their time on care work tasks. In the Dominion of Canada, 60% of women in the country, aged 25 to 54 spend an average of 3.7 hours per day on unpaid work (such as child care, housework, and eldercare), compared to men’s average of 1.9 hours, with more than 5 million Canadians providing unpaid care. Unpaid care work in Canada is estimated to represent $320 billion annually, or about 10% of Canada’s GDP. It is important that The Dominion of Canada and the UN address this topic to solve this issue, as it endangers human rights, as well as women’s rights in the context of equality and equal opportunities between men and women.

Although progress has been made globally in addressing Unpaid Care and Domestic work, we have yet to see the impacting effects of the resolutions made. The Dominion of Canada declares the cruciality to bring awareness to Unpaid Care and Domestic Work, implementing changes that recognize the value of unpaid work, redistributing care between men and women, and asking citizens to invest in public care such as affordable childcare and elder care. It is prominent that actions to promote equality and put an end to Unpaid Care and Domestic Work be implemented for an equal and united world. The Dominion of Canada is on its way to reaching these goals, and is willing to help other countries develop calls to action to achieve the goal of equality worldwide.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Egypt
Delegate Name: Ella Woods

Egypt
UN Women
Unpaid Care and Domestic Work

Egypt believes that women should be empowered to strive for an education despite the care that may be expected of them. Women perform roughly 75% of the unpaid care internationally. A fact that often goes unnoticed, therefore one of the most overlooked solutions to the problem of unpaid care and domestic work, is simply increasing awareness of the problem and changing societal norms. In addition to changing societal norms, Egypt proposes investing in physical infrastructure to reduce the amount of time it takes women to perform unpaid care. Improving access to electricity, running water, sanitation services, and public transport can reduce the amount of time tasks take to complete. Leaving more time for education and a career. In 2018, it was estimated that more than 10 million hours of domestic work could be saved every year with infrastructure improvements. The Internal Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that households relying on firewood for cooking spend 1.4 hours a day collecting firewood, in addition to cooking with inefficient stoves.

In 2017 Egypt ranked 143 out of 153 countries in labour force participation. Only 21 per cent of working-age women are in the working force due to domestic work that hinders their ability to work. Egypt has implemented the National Strategy for Women Empowerment, a program that focuses on recognizing unpaid care and promoting shared responsibility in the household by 2030. In alignment with the UN’s SDG 5, Egypt has developed the National Action Plan for the SDGs, which incorporates initiatives to promote gender equality, improve access to services, and reduce the gender gap in unpaid work. This includes promoting women’s access to the labour market and recognizing the value of unpaid care work. Despite these efforts, cultural norms and a lack of awareness of the problem still hinder progress. Also, Egypt has implemented no formal policies dealing with childcare or access to infrastructure to promote gender equality.
To combat the problem of unpaid care and domestic work Egypt suggests a policy that will balance unpaid care and domestic work in the home, by raising awareness of the problem, as well as supporting infrastructure that will help reduce time spent on domestic work. Governments can raise awareness of the gender divide in domestic care with policies that encourage men to contribute to the work. Egypt suggests raising the amount of time father’s get off of work for paternity leave. Creating a policy that increases access to child care so mothers can continue their education and careers is also suggested. In Kenya, mothers who receive subsidized child care are 17% more likely to be employed than mothers who do not. Egypt is also proposing a policy that helps women get access to infrastructure such as running water, electricity and public transport. It is important to enable women to save time on tasks they perform because that time provides significantly better health, economic opportunities, education and leisure. The program’s overall goal should be to see women spending less time on unpaid care because of a larger percentage of it being performed by men, improved access to childcare, and better infrastructure.

Egypt is looking forward to collaborating with delegates from UN Women.

Works Cited

Enabling Women’s Economic Empowerment: New Approaches to Unpaid Care Work in Developing Countries, OECD, 2019.
Selwaness, Irene, and Imane Helmy. “THE CARE ECONOMY IN EGYPT: THE ROAD TOWARDS RECOGNIZING, REDUCING AND REDISTRIBUTING UNPAID CARE WORK.” UN WOMEN.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Guyana
Delegate Name: Michael Fuger

Most unpaid jobs are performed by women and this can decrease their potential to find work and earn wages later in life. Performing domestic work and unpaid care takes up a lot of time and this can reduce the number of girls in school as well as the number of women who obtain degrees. Unpaid care and domestic work can account for large portions of a country’s GDP.

In Guyana, there is insufficient evidence that large amounts of unpaid work is affecting women getting paid jobs in the workforce. There is also evidence that shows that more girls go to school than boys and girls regularly get higher grades than boys. Employers are also required to pay their employees under the Prevention of Discrimination Act.

Guyana believes that compulsory education as well as making it illegal to not pay workers is a good solution to this problem and countries should be recommended to implement these.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Switzerland
Delegate Name: Bridget Lynn

Bridget Lynn

Richwoods High school

The Swiss Confederation

UN Women: Unpaid Care and Domestic Work

Although women are responsible for the most amount of unpaid and domestic work in Switzerland, the delegation has been and wants to continue to work towards making sure that number decreases. The Swiss Confederation is supportive of the work done in the United Nations to help women gain equal rights for everyone no matter their gender. It is ridiculous to ask women to give up their dreams on getting an education or being a part of the workforce and stay home to take care of domestic tasks.

Majority of unpaid domestic work falls on women, because of this, women have a harder time getting a higher-level education due to needing to stay home and take care of the children or elderly people in the household. Not only is getting an education harder, but being able to go out into the work force and earn money is challenging as well.

In Switzerland, the number of women doing unpaid work versus paid work has started to steady. In 1997, women performed 67% of unpaid work, now, they only perform 60%. Although this is great progress, it is still important that number is lessened and women living in the country are encouraged to be a part of the workforce and forms of tertiary education. Whether that be making daycares and nursing homes more affordable and accessible or promoting more forms on online education. Of course, every household and person are different, and it’s important to recognize women who want and enjoy staying home as well as the women who don’t have a choice but to stay home and work on domestic tasks.

Switzerland supports helping women across the country move away from the stereotype that they must stay home and be responsible for all domestic work. Since women make up 50.4% of the population, it is immensely important that they have more options when it comes to getting an education and breaking into the workforce.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: United States of America
Delegate Name: Sophia Piotrowski

Until around the 20th century, few types of work beyond unpaid care for their own
children at home were viewed as socially acceptable for white women.1 However, women of
color were employed—or enslaved—in domestic work, including child care for other families’
children.
Today, more women are in the labor force than ever before, in a range of jobs far wider
than their ancestors may have imagined. Despite this progress, evidence suggests that many
women remain unable to achieve their goals. The gap in earnings between women and men,
although smaller than it was years ago, is still significant; women continue to be
underrepresented in certain industries and occupations; and too many women struggle to
combine aspirations for work and family.
2
In the United States, women spend considerably more
time than men over their lifetime doing unpaid household and care work. The unequal
distribution of this work—work that is essential for families and societies to thrive—not only
limits women’s career choices and economic empowerment, but also affects their overall health
and well-being.3 The estimated employment-related costs for mothers providing unpaid care
averages $295,000 over a lifetime, based on the 2021 U.S. dollar value.4 Men spend an average
of 6.5 percent of their day (or about 1.6 hours) on unpaid care work and women an average of
nearly 18 percent (4.3 hours). Women spend nearly three times as much of their day on unpaid
care work as men.
Although in some ways the United States has made great progress toward gender equality
there is still a lot of work to be done. The US looks to invest in child care infrastructure that
allows women to have a real choice about whether to take time out of the paid workforce to
provide child care, support flexibility in working hours and locations, guarantee paid family and
medical leave, and structure leave policies to encourage men’s participation, provide paid sick
days, close the gender wage gap, provide care credits for Social Security and improve estimates
of value of unpaid care work. Lastly, the US looks to make the public more aware of this work’s
critical importance to the nation’s economy. These solutions will hopefully make women need to
do less unpaid care and work and spend more time with what they want to do in life.
4 “READOUT: US Department of Labor Report Finds Impact of Caregiving on Mother’s Wages Reduces Lifetime
Earnings by 15 Percent.” DOL, www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/wb/wb20230511.
3 Hess, Cynthia, et al. Providing Unpaid Household and Care Work in the United States: Uncovering Inequality.
Jan. 2020.
2 Yellen, Janet. “The History of Women’s Work and Wages and How It Has Created Success for Us All.” Brookings,
The Brookings Institution, May 2020,
www.brookings.edu/articles/the-history-of-womens-work-and-wages-and-how-it-has-created-success-for-us-all/.
1 “Undervalued: A Brief History of Women’s Care Work and Child Care Policy in the United States.” National
Women’s Law Center,
nwlc.org/resource/undervalued-a-brief-history-of-womens-care-work-and-child-care-policy-in-the-united-states/.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Russian Federation
Delegate Name: Jacob Zhang

United Nations Women
Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Russian Federation
Jacob Zhang
Forest Hills Northern High School

In the Russian Federation, unpaid care and domestic work are important components of socioeconomic life, especially in maintaining the well-being of the household and community. Unfortunately, this issue has fallen disproportionately on women, especially in rural areas and households with many generations. This issue relates to gender inequality because many women often struggle to work outside of the home due to their time spent on tasks with unpaid care., Addressing these issues will require a realistic and sensible approach that respects the values and sovereignty of each nation while promoting the well-being of families and communities.
In Russia, unpaid care work has worsened financial challenges such as insufficient childcare facilities and elder care, as well as persistent gender wage gaps. On average women working full time are paid around 85 percent of what men are paid. Many women take on traditional caregiving roles in areas with limited social service. The lack of flexibility in this type of work has reduced opportunities for women to achieve economic independence. Addressing these challenges is the first step in making gradual systematic changes necessary.
Despite these challenges, Russia has already made progress in alleviating the consequences of prolonged unpaid care and domestic work. Government-funded programs like the Maternity Capital Program have provided financial support for families. The program has helped to ease economic pressure on families, and has started to slightly contribute to reducing financial inequality. Additionally, vocational training programs have been introduced to help increase employment for women. These programs aim to equip women with new skills and qualifications, helping them transition into the workforce. Russia prioritizes sovereignty and gradual, state-led reform over time.
To address unpaid care work, Russia proposes expanding childcare and elder care services, as well as employment training and flexible work for women to prioritize more economic participation. Russia calls for international collaboration to share more effective practices and provide support, while further emphasizing solutions that respect national sovereignty and culture. These steps aim to slowly disperse the burden on women while they advance the social and economic state of the world.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Venezuela
Delegate Name: Kaitlyn Konyndyk

UN Women
Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Venezuela
Kaitlyn Konyndyk
Forest Hills Northern High School

The topic of unpaid care and domestic work has long been a topic discussed around the globe because these roles are disproportionately taken on by women. This issue is and has been deeply rooted in gender norms and the structures of societies that cause unpaid care and domestic work to disproportionately be performed by women. Unpaid care and domestic work can include tasks such as caring for children and or elders, household chores, and dealing with family needs, all of which are unpaid. According to unwomen.org, women perform at least two and a half times more unpaid domestic work than men. Because of females disproportionately performing these tasks, their participation in things like education, paid work, and others are curtailed. Because in poorer countries, many workers don’t have the time to take up jobs caring for others or doing domestic work. Additionally, many of those requiring that assistance cannot afford it. The committee of UN Women within the United Nations wants to create policies that promote sharing of domestic work and care between men and women as well as creating more paid jobs in the care economy in order to further women’s economic empowerment.

Unpaid care and domestic work is a relevant problem in Venezuela. That being said, Venezuela does not have the resources needed to alleviate this pressure on women or to pay for much of anything. Due to our already struggling economy as well as political crises, gender inequalities have been exacerbated, which makes it even harder to implement social programs. That being said, Venezuela has proven their commitment to the issue in a multitude of way such as; the Misión Madres del Barrio, being a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and their recognition of the value of domestic work. The Misión Madres del Barrio does a multitude of things including lowering drug use among young people, figuring unintended pregnancies in girls, and most related to this issue, it aids mothers who live in extreme poverty. Through being a signatory to the CEDAW, Venezuela agreed to uphold the principles of the convention including: equal rights, education and employment, legal protection, social support, and improving conditions of rural women. The acknowledgment of the value of domestic work can promote economic visibility and account for many of the principles previously listed.

Venezuela urges the United Nations to follow an approach that emphasizes the need for international cooperation and aid. Additionally, we propose policy reform and creation of supportive social infrastructure. We call for the establishment of a global fund to support care economies in developing countries. We support developing regional partnerships to work together on the best practices and implement policies and or practices that focus on reducing the burden of domestic work and unpaid care. Venezuela desires a future where domestic workers are valued and supported.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Switzerland
Delegate Name: Bridget Lynn

Although women are responsible for the most amount of unpaid and domestic work in Switzerland, the delegation has been and wants to continue to work towards making sure that number decreases. The Swiss Confederation is supportive of the work done in the United Nations to help women gain equal rights for everyone no matter their gender. It is ridiculous to ask women to give up their dreams on getting an education or being a part of the workforce and stay home to take care of domestic tasks.

Majority of unpaid domestic work falls on women, because of this, women have a harder time getting a higher-level education due to needing to stay home and take care of the children or elderly people in the household. Not only is getting an education harder, but being able to go out into the work force and earn money is challenging as well.

In Switzerland, the number of women doing unpaid work versus paid work has started to steady. In 1997, women performed 67% of unpaid work, now, they only perform 60%. Although this is great progress, it is still important that number is lessened and women living in the country are encouraged to be a part of the workforce and forms of tertiary education. Whether that be making daycares and nursing homes more affordable and accessible or promoting more forms on online education. Of course, every household and person are different, and it’s important to recognize women who want and enjoy staying home as well as the women who don’t have a choice but to stay home and work on domestic tasks.

Switzerland supports helping women across the country move away from the stereotype that they must stay home and be responsible for all domestic work. Since women make up 50.4% of the population, it is immensely important that they have more options when it comes to getting an education and breaking into the workforce.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Senegal
Delegate Name: Sophia Schafer

Committee: ECOSOC
Topic A: Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Senegal
Delegate: Sophia Schafer
School: Williamston High School

According to UN Women, as of December 2020, only 45.9% of the indicators necessary to monitor the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from a gender perspective were available, revealing significant gaps in critical areas like unpaid care and domestic work. This issue is especially prevalent in Senegal, where patriarchal traditions are rooted deeply in Senegal society and preserve discrimination against women, limiting their access to higher education and higher standards of living compared to men. Many women in Senegal also lack access to banking services and face challenges in getting loans, mainly due to the lack of trust banks have in women to secure a job or get paid. This financial exclusion hinders their economic independence and opportunities. Additionally, women need help to receive fair pay for care and domestic work, with many women not being paid enough or sometimes not at all. To tackle these pressing issues, this committee must develop strategies that promote gender equality in the workforce, advocate for policy changes, and raise awareness about the importance of recognizing and valuing women’s contributions in the workforce and at home as well. Addressing these challenges is essential for reducing the amounts of women who are unjustly experiencing unpaid care and domestic work.

In an inspiring effort to combat discrimination and help women’s lives in Senegal, women have banded together to help eachother to rise in society despite the discrimination. One impactful program they have made is the TONTINES, a group of women who pool their money and earnings together. This communal approach allows them to distribute funds among themselves, creating a support system that increases financial stability for each other and empowers each member to manage their finances more effectively. In addition to the TONTINES, another organization that helps women and the underprivileged to be heard is UNACOIS. It has emerged to assist the disadvantaged, particularly women facing hardship, and new businesses. UNACOIS is dedicated to promoting financial stability and empowerment, helping women build trust with banking institutions, and equipping small businesses with the tools they need to flourish and gain popularity and business among the overpowering companies. Support for UNACOIS comes from influential leaders such as Idy Thiam, the president of Senegal. This partnership shows that Senegal is ready to take on a stance against the everyday issues of unpaid care and domestic labor, especially for women, as Senegal strives to create an equal society where all women have the opportunity to thrive.

Senegal cares deeply about its women, so it has teamed up with Burkina Faso and created more jobs for them. The created job opportunities are called green jobs, resulting from the Great Green Wall Initiative. This initiative is designed to restore destroyed ecosystems that have degraded over time and combat the impacts of climate change by capturing carbon emissions and increasing climate resistance. The Green Wall initiative will generate over 10 million jobs for their people, including underpaid women who will now be paid for their work instead of being underpaid by a different non-governmental job. Along with the Great Green Wall initiative, Senegal is trying to improve the working conditions of women by partnering with the UN Women to integrate solutions into local investment plans, adapt health insurance systems to support these women, and facilitate policy discussions around care work at various levels. This solution they are working on with many other countries is called the “Transformative Approaches to Recognize, Reduce and Redistribute Work unpaid care work in women’s economic empowerment in Senegal, Rwanda, and South Africa.” Senegal does not want to cast aside our women, but we are working towards allowing them equal representation to men in the workforce.

As a country that wants to ride above the discrimination women face every day, we are open to anything that will help give our women equal representation in the workforce and not have to face the struggles of unpaid care and domestic work. Senegal looks to a future full of equality, and we are looking for anyone to join us. Our possible solutions are creating more potential jobs for women that hopefully help the environment. We are looking forward to a future with women who are not struggling to find a stable job, and we will do anything to create a future for the women of Senegal.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Mexico
Delegate Name: Ishitha Turlapati

According to United Nations Women, unpaid care and domestic labor refers to work done by family members in the home for the maintenance and well-being of the family. This work predominantly falls on women. Worldwide, women do 74.6% of the work while men do 23.6% of unpaid care and domestic labor. Sometimes, women go to a demanding nine-to-five job, come home, and do all the household work. This not only impacts women in low-income and rural areas but also in urban areas. It is important to recognize and address unpaid care work, as it is critical for achieving gender equality. When women spend the majority of their time on unpaid labor, they often sacrifice opportunities for education, employment, and financial independence, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality.
At the international level, several actions have been taken to deal with unpaid care and domestic work. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 1995, recognized unpaid care and work as a major obstacle toward women’s empowerment and called for policy measures that reduce the burden through public services and infrastructure and shared responsibilities between men and women. The ILO Resolution on Decent Work and the Care Economy, 2024, continues to advocate for more investment in the care economy to help reduce these gender gaps. In addition, other organizations, like Oxfam International, have released reports, such as the Time to Care report, which highlights the economic importance of unpaid care work, urging countries to adopt national care systems that would help redistribute some of this work. For example, ActionAid has pursued activities focused on providing accessible child care and community-based support mechanisms seeking to reduce unpaid workload burdens by women, particularly in rural settings.
In Mexico, the issue of unpaid care work has an immense social and economic effect. Women make a potential contribution of 24.3% to the national GDP through their unpaid labor; however, most of this work is undervalued and goes unseen. The government of Mexico, working with international organizations like UN Women and the ILO, established a program called Closing Gaps. The initiative aimed to set up a National Care System, including social security plans for domestic workers and pilot initiatives for agricultural laborers, thereby reaching more than 54,000 domestic workers by the year 2024. The #EsLoJusto (It is Only Fair) campaign was launched as an essential part of this movement to help bring awareness about the work and the rights of domestic workers, especially women. However, while these policies are a step forward, significant cultural and infrastructural challenges remain, especially in rural areas where support services are extremely underresourced.
Mexico proposes a set of solutions that can be applied both at the level of the UN and individually by the member states. Recognizing the economic value of unpaid care work by adding it to national accounts like GDP, would help show the full contribution women make to the economy through their work. Mexico further calls for a Global Care Economy Fund to help support developing countries in building the infrastructures of care and in implementing policies that would redistribute unpaid work of care. Furthermore, Mexico highlights the necessity of public awareness campaigns aimed at challenging societal norms regarding caregiving and promoting the equitable distribution of responsibilities within households.
These solutions are key to achieving gender equality and breaking the cycles of inequality and poverty that hit women particularly hard. Addressing the root causes of unpaid care and domestic work, such as deep-seated cultural norms and lack of infrastructure, will lead to an equitable society. Mexico believes that not only will these measures bring benefits to women, but they will also increase general economic growth and social welfare.

Sources:
https://un-dco.org/stories/closing-gaps-social-protection-women-workers-mexico
https://www.nadja.co/2024/07/25/mothers-drive-unpaid-domestic-labour-mexico/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20the%20economic%20value,backbone%20of%20the%20country’s%20economy.
https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/620928/bp-time-to-care-inequality-200120-en.pdf
https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/%40ed_norm/%40relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_921863.pdf
https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Field%20Office%20ESEAsia/Docs/Publications/2017/01/Unpaid-Care-and-Domestic-Work-EN.pdf
https://caribbean.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Field%20Office%20Caribbean/Attachments/Publications/PFA_E_Final_WEB.pdf
https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Field%20Office%20ESEAsia/Docs/Publications/2017/01/Unpaid-Care-and-Domestic-Work-EN.pdf

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Ghana
Delegate Name: Elena Petros

UN Woman
Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Republic of Ghana
Elena Petros
Forest Hills Northern

The issue of unpaid care and household work is not just a personal concern; it is a societal challenge that has far-reaching implications for the global economy, gender equality, and the overall progress of communities. A substantial part of this burden falls disproportionately on women and girls, who dedicate significantly more time to caregiving and household responsibilities compared to their male counterparts. Studies demonstrate that women and girls collectively spend up to three times more hours on these tasks than men. This systemic imbalance not only impacts family dynamics and personal well-being but also contributes to broader societal issues like poverty and inequality, particularly in developing regions such as Ghana.
In many rural areas of Ghana, women face astonishing demands, often juggling these responsibilities up to 14 hours per day. Unpaid care work consumes a significant amount of time, which restricts individuals’ access to education and formal job opportunities. This limitation hinders their ability to achieve personal and financial independence. The impact of this situation extends beyond individual families, affecting the overall national economy by impeding growth and development.
According to the International Labour Organization, unpaid care work is an unnoticed contributor to the global economy, amounting to $10 trillion annually. This figure underscores the significance of addressing this issue, which has historically been overlooked in economic productivity and social policy discussions. Recognizing its crucial role, the United Nations has prioritized tackling the challenges posed by unpaid care work, emphasizing the need to acknowledge, reduce, and redistribute these responsibilities. Programs such as UN Women’s “Care Accelerator Initiative” are pivotal in helping nations like Ghana devise policies to alleviate this burden and promote equitable participation of women in the workforce.
In response to this pressing issue, the Republic of Ghana is actively implementing measures to address unpaid care and domestic work as part of its broader agenda for achieving gender equality and stimulating economic growth. The Ghana Social Opportunities Project is one initiative that exemplifies this commitment by providing cash support to vulnerable families. By offering financial assistance, this program empowers women to seek education and job opportunities, aiming to break the cycle of poverty and dependence. Moreover, on a regional scale, Ghana is collaborating with various organizations across West Africa to advocate for policies that support gender equality, such as affordable childcare services and worker protections that are essential for promoting a balanced life for caregivers.
Ghana’s determination to create a fairer society is further demonstrated by its commitment to international agreements, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. This commitment drives local initiatives aimed at sharing caregiving responsibilities and enhancing the economic contributions of women. For instance, rural daycare centers and cooperative farming projects not only facilitate the dual role of women as caregivers and income earners but also strengthen community ties and foster collective action towards a common goal—economic empowerment.
To address the many challenges of unpaid care work, Ghana is promoting a practical and inclusive plan. One idea is to create an African Regional Task Force on Unpaid Care, guided by UN Women. This group would allow countries to share ideas, develop better policies, and find funding for programs to ease the burden of unpaid care. Ghana also highlights the importance of investing in affordable childcare, especially in rural areas where these services are often unavailable.
Finally, a crucial component of Ghana’s strategy involves integrating care work into national development frameworks and promoting shared responsibilities within households and communities. By acknowledging the importance of unpaid caregiving work and promoting shared involvement in caregiving activities, Ghana aims to cultivate a more equitable, inclusive, and prosperous society for all its citizens. Taking these significant steps is essential not only for addressing the immediate challenges posed by unpaid care work but also for laying the foundation for a balanced and thriving future in which everyone can contribute to and benefit from economic development.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Syrian Arab Republic
Delegate Name: Katie Macey

The role of women in society is reflective of the cultural values of the nation to which they belong. In order to respect a nation’s sovereignty, its cultural values and practices should not be interfered with or criticized by foreign nations. The Syrian Arab Republic aims to protect the sovereignty of individual nations and their right to maintain their respective cultural traditions, societal norms, and legal frameworks.

While the Syrian Arab Republic is a secular state, the constitution recognizes that Islam is the religion of the President, and specifies that Islamic jurisprudence shall serve as a key source for legislation. As outlined by Islamic Sharia principles and the Syrian Personal Status Law, the role of men in the family is generally understood to be the provider, while women have traditionally been caregivers. These roles are both understood to be necessary to ensure the wellbeing of families. Although it is the perspective of some that these roles restrict the education of women, education is a guaranteed right of all citizens under the Syrian constitution.
Throughout history, women in Islamic societies, including Syria, have been central as familial caregivers, a role which contributes to the stability and cohesion of communities. The absence of women from this role could potentially disrupt familial and societal structures.

As domestic work is traditionally seen as part of a woman’s role within the family structure, compensation for domestic work or caregiving is not recognized under Syrian law. The Syrian Arab Republic believes that domestic work should be motivated by a sense of and commitment to familial responsibility, rather than for financial gain. It is because of these principles that domestic work in Syria is not a compensated form of labor.

While maintaining that Syrian culture and domestic policies should not face interference by foreign states, the Syrian Arab Republic acknowledges that other nations may not share the same cultural values and societal norms. Despite these differences, the United Nations does not have the authority to intervene in matters that are within the domestic jurisdiction of any state, as stated by Article 2(7) in the Purposes and Principles section of the United Nations Charter. This protection granted by the UN Charter should not be infringed upon, even in the face of cultural or ideological differences.

When creating a framework for international regulations on the role of women, local customs and cultural norms must be respected. The disregard of societal norms of individual nations by international agreements is disrespectful to the cultural values of those nations and undermines the principle of national sovereignty. The Syrian Arab Republic urges this body to be mindful of the varying cultures, traditions, and societal structures present in different countries, and not to overlook these components in the name of a definition of equality rooted in a particular set of beliefs.

Works Cited
Personal Status – Syrian Legal Platform. https://www.legal-sy.org/en/personal-status/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

“Purposes and Principles of the UN (Chapter I of UN Charter).” Security Council, https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/purposes-and-principles-un-chapter-i-un-charter. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

“Syrian Arab Republic 2012 Constitution.” Constitute, https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Syria_2012. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Syria, www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/arabstates/Syria.Summary.19.Eng_0.pdf. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

“Syria.” United States Department of State, 24 June 2024, https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/syria/#:~:text=to%20religious%20freedom.-,The%20constitution%20declares%20the%20state%20shall%20respect%20all%20religions%20and,republic.%E2%80%9D%20The%20constitution%20states%20Islamic. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
“Syria.” The World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Philippines
Delegate Name: Grace Hatton

The Philippines is incredibly honored to discuss the issue of unpaid care and domestic care, which disproportionately portrays women and allows for gender inequality. While we recognize that domestic work and care are essential for the well-being of our nation, we understand that these tasks are largely performed by women and their efforts mainly go unnoticed. The delegation of the Philippines remains committed to recognizing these efforts and addressing the challenges that unpaid work poses, both for society and women and to promoting gender equality in households and communities around the country, for the Philippines’ status to remain as one of the most gender-equal member states of Asia.

According to the Philippines Statistics Authority, women spend around 4.7 hours a day on domestic work, while men spend around an average of 1.2, showcasing the unequal distribution of domestic work and unpaid care between genders, and how it is particularly difficult. This is most common in poorer communities and rural areas, most likely due to the lack of access to formal education, social protective services, and labor-saving technologies. Additionally, the Philippines faces many challenges and pressures, including a rapidly growing and aging population, which increases the demand for caregiving services, and places a greater strain on women who traditionally in society are responsible for care. Without addressing this problem, women’s liberties will decrease and provide for economic and social inequalities.

We recognize the urgent need to address this issue and the inequalities and implications associated with it. The delegation of the Philippines proposes the following policy measures to help prevent it; the recognition and redistribution of unpaid care, we call for the creation of frameworks to measure unpaid in all areas of the country based on national statistics, to make sure that such work is no longer ignored in policy-making decisions and processes. We also call for legislation to be passed on paid family leave, and more social protection programs to ease the domestic work burden of women. We understand the importance of education and public awareness campaigns to inform the public about the shared responsibility of domestic work between men and women and urge the importance and implementation of it. Lastly, we believe in an investment in infrastructure and public services, to improve and increase childcare and healthcare services to decrease the strain on women. We hope other countries will collaborate with us on this incredibly important issue.

The Phillipines recognize that care and domestic work are essential for our communities to function, and yet the work done by women in this field is incredibly underappreciated. This country is committed to addressing these problems and inequalities through comprehensive policy measures that promote the recognition of unpaid care and domestic work in women, and help solve this problem. We hope other member states recognize the importance of this and work with us to stop it.

Works Cited
Borlaza, Gregorio C, et al. “Philippines.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 21 Dec. 2018, www.britannica.com/place/Philippines.
care. “Unpaid Care and Domestic Work.” Oxfam.org, 2021, philippines.oxfam.org/tags/unpaid-care-and-domestic-work. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
“Care on Care Work: PH Holds Consultation on Valuing and Investing in Unpaid Care and Domestic Work | Philippine Commission on Women.” Pcw.gov.ph, 11 Oct. 2023, pcw.gov.ph/care-on-care-work-ph-holds-consultation-on-valuing-and-investing-in-unpaid-care-and-domestic-work/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
COUNTRY CASE STUDY Philippines Valuing and Investing in Unpaid Care and Domestic Work.
Philippine Statistics Authority. “Philippine Statistics Authority | Republic of the Philippines.” Psa.gov.ph, 2023, psa.gov.ph/.
“The Philippines’ Unpaid Care Policy Landscape: Key Findings and Insights from the Pilot Care Policy Scorecard Assessment – Oxfam Pilipinas.” Oxfam Pilipinas, 23 May 2024, oxfam.org.ph/download/the-philippines-unpaid-care-policy-landscape-key-findings-and-insights-from-the-pilot-care-policy-scorecard-assessment/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
United Nations. “United Nations in Philippines.” Philippines.un.org, 2023, philippines.un.org/en.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Colombia
Delegate Name: Lillian Navin

In Columbia, just like other countries, women disproportionately bear the burden of unpaid care and domestic work. Domestic tasks such as caring for children, cooking, and cleaning are critical for society to function. While 76.4% of men are part of the labor force in Colombia in contrast only 52.1 percent of women are according to the 2024 report from BBVA research. This unequal distribution of unpaid labor has significant implications for women’s education, economic mobility, and overall well-being. Colombia believes that this is a critical issue to address gender equality and improve the lives of many women and families.

To address the problem of unpaid labor and domestic work, Columbia believes the UN must take a multifaceted approach. Columbia wants to first focus on ensuring young women have access to education that they can balance with caregiving responsibilities. Columbia would like to additionally emphasize supporting caregivers and recognize the economic value of the work they provide. Unpaid domestic and care work in Colombia, mainly done by women, was valued at 21.7 percent of the gross domestic product in 2021 according to the Care Economy Satellite Account of the National Statistics Department which shows how valuable the labor done by women is to society. Further, this committee must address the deeply rooted cultural expectations for women and advocate for more equitable distributions of unpaid domestic work.

An ideal resolution will focus on public awareness of the economic values of unpaid labor and promote shared domestic responsibility. Furthermore, there must be a focus on government and community support programs. Colombia recommends that the committee advocate for government subsidies and tax credits for families that depend on unpaid caregivers in expanding programs for Community child and elder care centers, particularly in rural areas. Most importantly, access to education must be improved for young women. Flexible school schedules and scholarship programs should be considered to improve education for women with caregiving responsibilities.

Columbia has taken significant steps to address the issue of unpaid care and domestic work. Programs like the Care Economy Act (law 1413-2010) which makes unpaid labor be accounted for in National Economic statistics which helps inform policy-making and initiatives such as the De Cero a Siempre (From Birth to Forever) have shown that subsidizing child care services can reduce the burden on women. This committee should draw on these presidents and include a scaling up of investment in affordable care services and create a legal framework that redistributes responsibilities within households and ensures a national accounting system to measure the value of unpaid work.

By promoting collaboration and implementing proven strategies from Columbia and other countries this community can drive Global progress toward achieving greater gender equality and economic empowerment, especially for women in domestic work settings. Columbia is committed to addressing the challenges of unpaid care and domestic work by implementing policies that value unpaid labor, increase education access, and promote gender equality to empower women to participate fully in all sectors of society.

Works Cited:
Calderón, Juan. “‘De Cero a Siempre,’ A Commitment to Our Children ‘s Early Years.” Espacio para la Infancia, 2019, https://espacioparalainfancia.online/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1.1-De-Cero-a-Siempre-1.pdf.

International Labour Organization (ILO). “Providing Care Through the Social and Solidarity Economy.” June 2024, https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/Colombia%20Brief%20Final.pdf.

Llanes, María Claudia. “Colombia.” BBVA Research, 27 Sept. 2024, https://www.bbvaresearch.com/en/publicaciones/colombia-women-to-increase-their-labor-force/.

UN Women. “Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment: Recognizing and Investing in the Care Economy.” May 2018, https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/Library/Publications/2018/Issue-paper-Recognizing-and-investing-in-the-care-economy-en.pdf.

Yeung, Peter. “With Free Laundry and Salsa Classes, Bogotá Tries to Care for Its Unpaid Caregivers.” The Christian Science Monitor, 25 June 2024, https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2024/0625/colombia-women-caregivers-unpaid-labor. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

“How a Citywide Social System Relieves Women from Unpaid Care Work.” Unstuck by UNDP, 16 June 2022, https://unstuck.systems/how-a-citywide-social-system-relieves-women-from-unpaid-care-work/.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Albania
Delegate Name: Stella Yakima

In Albania, the amount of women who suffer from domestic violence is well over half of the population, this information is stated by UN Women of Europe and Central Asia. This is encouraged by the culture in Albania as well as the community. Domestic violence is an issue in Albania that has been going on for so long that it is seen as permissible. This is the sad problem that many Albanian women and girls face. Most rural women work in the agriculture industry and are paid less than the average man for the same work. Not only that, but a lot of the work that women do gets no pay at all. Something that prevents women from working better jobs or wishing for better pay is their home life. As previously stated, domestic violence is an overwhelming problem that controls the lives of many women. Women who live in households that face violence typically have less of a say over their own life. This leads to lack of education and being unable to move forward and live a steady life but instead keeps them in an unsafe situation with little hope to get out.

Preceding communism in Albania, typical patriarchal roles for men and women were commonplace. Albania was under communist rule for multiple decades and due to this, culture and customs of men working and women staying home had to be ignored and instead, both women and men had to go to work. This has had both positive and negative effects on the balance between public and private sectors and domestic sectors for women but ultimately it seems women have reverted back to traditional gender norms. The Albanian economy also suffered tremendously due to the switch from democracy to socialism to communism then ultimately back to democracy. Not enough people are working which has negative effects on the economical flow.

Albania has been working with the United Nations along with the governments of other nations in the past in an effort to move forward and away from domestic violence, especially on the basis of gender. Albania has been encouraged to act upon this problem by applying laws that will protect women and girls from violence. This violence can include but is not limited to sexual harassment, abuse, and stalking. Albania has also been working to improve upon delivering and informing women of resources that can potentially help them as well as raise awareness for victim support. Another way Albania has been working to put an end to violence against women is to change the social and cultural norms that surround domestic violence towards women and putting in preventative measures to ensure women are safe in their own homes.

Domestic violence against women is an issue that Albania desperately needs to solve. A way that Albania would like to achieve is by spreading awareness to women via the media. Albania would also like to promote the rights that women have regarding work that is done within one’s house. Women should be paid for work that they do not only for the public or private sectors but also for taking care of their elders or keeping up with maintenance within the house. This way, more women will have jobs and be paid while still residing in the safety of their home. This will stimulate the economy and provide support for women who are struggling to gain economic independence. Continuing to work with other nations to work on laws and programmes that will benefit everyone, both female and male, is something that Albania would look favorably upon moving forward. These programs would focus on prevention and intervention and would contribute to the protection of women and girls in Albania vastly.

Works Cited
Alexander, Lynsey. “10 Facts about Girls’ Education in Albania.” The Borgen Project, 3 Mar. 2020, borgenproject.org/girls-education-in-albania/.
Elez Biberaj, and Peter R Prifti. “Albania | History, Geography, Customs, & Traditions.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 8 Mar. 2019, www.britannica.com/place/Albania.
“Healing and Independence: Albanian Women’s Path out of Domestic Abuse.” UN Women – Europe and Central Asia, 18 Nov. 2024, eca.unwomen.org/en/stories/news/2024/11/healing-and-independence-albanian-womens-path-out-of-domestic-abuse. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Violence against Women and Girls in Albania.
“WOB al Program – Women on Boards Albania.” Wobal.org, 2024, wobal.org/wob-al-program/. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Bangladesh
Delegate Name: Annika Barnas

Country: Bangladesh
Committee: United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); UN Women
Topic: Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Delegate: Annika Barnas
School: Mattawan High School

Unpaid care and domestic work can be boiled down to a basic definition, it is the unpaid and household-based responsibilities/activities performed by a member of the household. These tasks often include cooking, cleaning, childcare, etc. This has become a gender issue, as the work is performed disproportionately by females and negatively impacts women and girls in many countries. The fact that these responsibilities are carried out primarily by women, results in girls having limited time for learning, development, and leisure; all of which create an environment in which girls and women are less likely to thrive. The factors that perpetuate the traditional roles of gender in domestic work can be economic or sociological. In economics, unpaid domestic work contributes to the overall wellbeing of society; allowing paid workers to participate in the workforce by carrying out domestic tasks. This is a necessary part of a functioning society, but becomes a significant issue when sociological conditions are factored in. Societal expectations of women result in an extremely gendered division of labor, limit women’s ability to fully participate in the workforce, create unequal domestic power distribution, and more.
The United Nations has previously taken action against this issue by collecting and analyzing data concerning the extents of unpaid domestic work, raising awareness about the disproportionate domestic burden placed on women, promoting policies that focus on redistribution of domestic responsibilities, supporting initiatives at the national level that work to promote equal-sharing of responsibilities between genders, etc. Several resolutions have been introduced to address this issue including A/RES/78/150 which was passed in 2023 and called on member states to more equally divide domestic work, and A/RES/77/193 which was passed in 2022 and intensified efforts to eliminate violence against women and address gender stereotypes/negative social norms.
The COVID-19 pandemic increased domestic pressures on Bangladeshi women, closing school and resulting in an approximate 89% of women without leisure time. This also increased the amount of childcare responsibilities placed upon women and girls. Men used the time off to focus on hobbies and leisure activities, whereas women worked about 3.43 times as much as men on domestic tasks. All of this increased marital discord and domestic violence against women.
Bangladesh has attempted to recognize unpaid domestic work and emphasize the value of such work. The Bangladeshi government’s 8th Five-Year Plan included a Gender Equality Strategy whose goal was to equalize the amount of time men and women spend on domestic work. The government also implemented a Women Domestic Policy in 2011 that emphasized the inclusion of women’s domestic labor in national accounts. Finally, the government has instructed the Planning Commission to include unpaid domestic work in the GDP calculations.
Some potential solutions to this problem include, redistribution of domestic tasks between members of the household so that all members share equal responsibilities. Expanding access to affordable childcare, support for elderly and disabled family members, and financial support for women; this would allow women to have more freedom and a reduction of the burden on women. Bangladesh also supports efforts to increase the availability of paid parental leave so that parents of both genders can play a role in raising their children; as well as increasing access to education for women so that they have a better opportunity to participate in the workforce. Finally, expanding the role of women in the making of legislative decisions to allow for more gender-equal policy decisions.

Citations:

https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/21_Measuring%20the%20Value%20of%20Unpaid%20Household%20Work%20in%20Bangladesh.pdf
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15325024.2023.2259296
https://www.un.org/en/ga/77/resolutions.shtml
https://data.unicef.org/topic/gender/gender-norms-and-unpaid-work/
https://www.un.org/en/ga/78/resolutions.shtml
https://freepolicybriefs.org/2021/12/20/gender-gap-unpaid-care/

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Republic of Korea
Delegate Name: Reagan Overmyer

UN Women
Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Reagan Overmyer
Williamston High School
Republic of Korea

Unpaid care and domestic work are essential to every functioning household, yet are scarcely regarded as work. There is a severe gender gap between men and women when it comes to duties around the household and caring for the family. Women are two and a half times more likely to contribute to household activities than men due to societal expectations and standards. South Korea believes this work should not go unnoticed, and could profoundly affect the economy.

There are a few types of care and domestic work. Interactive care is developmental and physical care for children, relatives, and adults. Another type is supervisory care, which is spending time with a child or older relatives. The third and possibly the most important type is support care. Duties like washing dishes, vacuuming, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning would fall under this category. Society can only function with this supportive care. When looking to compensate for unpaid domestic work, the most important aspect is determining the value of the work, which can be very controversial. Compensation for tasks would lead to a wealthier society. The expectation of household duties on women limits career development, preventing them from being promoted, which may lead to stunting economic growth.

South Korea believes that in order to create a more stable and prosperous economy, women should be compensated for domestic work and care. Determining the monetary value of these essential tasks is highly debated, but it should be a top priority of the women’s rights committee. When “invisible” work such as this is recognized as a job, it will be a massive step for women’s rights. South Korea looks forward to working with countries like Turkiye, the US, Ireland, and Portugal to solve this pressing issue.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Peru
Delegate Name: Pearl Chandel

Women have difficulty getting jobs that can pay the bill due to their gender. Women spend most of their days cleaning, cooking, or caring for the young or elderly. 7.5 hours of women’s days are spent doing domestic work, however a man has an average of 3.7 hours daily. The financial work differs in time too. Women spend about 4 hours a day on a paid job, men spend about 6.9 hours on paid work. Women spend an hour more than men and most of the time they don’t get paid for it. When covid hit in 2020 the difference in time spent working got worse. The 82% of households that have women take on most of the unpaid work make it so the women have fewer chances to increase their income or their independence from their families. 51% of working-age women earn only 75% of what men make. When a woman has her first child an average of 41% of women leave their jobs. The women get 49 days before and after a baby is born. The days can fluctuate if more than one baby is born or there have been complications with the pregnancy. For a woman to fully get paid for her time off, she has to work three months straight before her leave.
The progress for women’s inclusion in labor started in 1990 when they reformed customary laws which before restricted women’s right to work, have banking or financial services, and lastly to inherit/own assets. From 2000-2014 %58 to 68% of women increased working financial jobs. The participation from women increased the GDP by a lot which caused us to have one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America. To help lower the wage gap Peru has enacted law no. 30709 which is a law that prohibits wage discrimination between women and men. The law has employer rules to follow to determine the right pay for the position and the person’s qualifications.
Peru believes in having more inclusivity regarding jobs that can financially support women and their families and have men take a load off of women’s domestic work. We believe that to fix these problems we can create laws that force employers to pay women by their education and qualifications and not their gender. This means that women will be paid the full wage that a man makes all over Peru. We need to expand childcare so that 51% of women who quit after having their first child can still be a mother while being financially independent. The men of Peru need to pick up some of the workload that women take on. Most of the day women spend on domestic work and that can be a burden as well as taking time out of their day for their time or financial work. To break traditional norms we need to ask less of women and more of men who could be helping their wives complete equal work.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Spain
Delegate Name: Liberty Scanlin

Topic: Addressing Unpaid Care and Domestic work in Spain
Country: Spain
Committee: UN Women
Delegate Name: Liberty Scanlin
School: New Prairie High School

The pressing matter of addressing the gender imbalance behind unpaid care and
domestic work have become increasingly relevant in today’s society. Ever since the
COVID-19 Pandemic, the amount of unpaid care and domestic work has only grown.
Unpaid care and domestic work has become integrated within society, and historically
women account for a majority of that work. Spain recognizes the importance of fixing
the ratio in order to take the pressure off of women.
The Spanish Government understands the role gender inequality plays in this imbalance
of unpaid care and domestic work. Pre-existing gender roles, ones that favor men, fuel
this imbalance. This leaves women with less time to devote towards getting an education
and generating their own income. Understanding the severity of this issue, the Spanish
government is committed to working towards helping support SDG 5 Gender Equality to
in turn help regulate the amount of unpaid care and domestic work being provided by
women. Spain has enacted a series of policies with this in mind, and believes that the
issue of gender inequality must be addressed internationally and collaborated on to fix
the amount of unpaid care and domestic work being provided by women.
Spain has three main proposals aimed at fixing the issue of unpaid care and domestic
work. The first one aims at continuing preexisting family policies implemented in Spain
that allow more time for parental leave for fathers. These efforts have made strides in
helping equalize the amount of time men and women spend on unpaid care and
domestic work. Continuing them will only help further decrease the gap between hours
men and women spend on unpaid care and domestic work. A second program Spain
would like to continue to facilitate is WIPO’s (World Intellectual Property Organization)
educational programs for women. The educational program focuses on protecting IPs
and helps empower women who are considering a career as an artisan. This continued
focus on education helps encourage women to find a career opportunity that grants
them an income. These continued policies offer a solution to the issue of unpaid care
and domestic work. Another proposed solution to this issue would be to focus on
increasing access to childcare facilities. Implementing more childcare programs would
enable women to have more free time to work towards establishing a career for
themselves.
Spain is looking forward to collaborating with delegates from UN Women to discuss
international efforts to address unpaid care and domestic work.

Works Cited

Cobano-Delgado, Veronica, and Vicente Lorent-Bedmar. “Women’s Well-Being and
Rural Development in Depopulated Spain.” International Journal of Environmental
Research and Public Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 17 Mar. 2020,
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7143739/.
“Empowering Rural Resilience in Spain: WIPO’s Initiative for Women Artisans in
Spain’s Abandoned Landscapes.” WIPO, 2024,
www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/stories/spain-women-rural-artisans-2024.html.
González Laya, Arancha. “Exteriores.” Https://Www.Exteriores.Gob.Es, 2021,
https://www.exteriores.gob.es/es/ServiciosAlCiudadano/PublicacionesOficiales/2021_
02_POLITICA%20EXTERIOR%20FEMINISTA_ENG.pdf
Robin.salter. “Spain’s Commitment to Support Women in Rural Areas.” AEIDL, 22 July
2022,
www.aeidl.eu/news/news/spains-commitment-to-support-women-in-rural-areas/.
“Spain – English.Doc.” Www.Un.Org,
www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/Review/responses/SPAIN-English.pdf. Accessed 10
Nov. 2024.
“Women and Unpaid Family Care Work in the EU.”
Https://Www.Europarl.Europa.Eu, 2009,
www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/etudes/join/2009/419618/IPOL-FEMM_ET
(2009)419618_EN.pdf.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Afghanistan
Delegate Name: Isha Oberoi

The delegation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is determined to do what it can to advance women’s rights and alleviate their unpaid care and domestic work burdens through the UN. As an exiled government, we are committed to opposing the Taliban and their immoral, oppressive rule over women. True Islam does not justify the Taliban’s rule over women, and the Taliban’s interpretations of the Quran are misguided. We look forward to working together with other nations to address the conditions in which unpaid care and domestic work occur and why, how to increase awareness of unpaid labor, particularly in the area of family care, and how to create accessible education for women who are responsible for the care of their family. This is why the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan calls upon the consideration of subsidized checks for women in domestic work funded by the International Monetary Fund.

Conditions of Unpaid Care and Domestic Work:
Women are trapped in the domestic sphere in Afghanistan by the Taliban. The Taliban took away their right to work, to receive an education, and even to leave their houses without a male guardian. With this in mind, women shoulder a more disproportionate share of unpaid domestic work than ever before. Globally, women are already paid 24% less than men for the same work, even though women do nearly two and half times more unpaid care and domestic work than men do. Women also spend three times the amount of time men do with unpaid domestic work/care tasks. 76.4% of unpaid domestic care work worldwide is done by women, while 23.6% is done by men. In developing nations with unstable economies, women perform 80.2% of unpaid care. In Taliban ruled Afghanistan, unpaid domestic work functions as a method of survival for women including those in Taliban-permitted forced and child marriages. Before the Taliban took power again in 2021, women were encouraged by the Republic to work in both the private and public sectors where they earned payment. In 2021, the Taliban revoked working women’s jobs and forced them to go home because their jobs could be done by men. This meant hundreds of women were out of government jobs. The only job women could continue doing for the government was clean women’s bathrooms. Pre-Taliban, 27% of the 2,930 people working for the government were women. Effectively the only job left for women that is not domestic work is policing other women. The Taliban shut down another work environment that housed jobs for women, the Ministry for Women’s Affairs, and established the Ministry of Virtue and Vice (the Sharia religious/morality police, officially named the Ministry for Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice) in its place.

Islamic Views on Domestic Labor and Family Care Concerns:
Cultural norms and traditions have dictated women’s dominance in family care as their primary employment. As the Quran recognizes it, men and women are equal and because of this, sharing of the responsibilities of family care promotes the equality of men and women. Allah states in Quran 9:71 “The believing men and believing women are allies of one another.” Allah also recognizes in Quran 4:124, that “whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer-those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged.” It can be concluded that Allah does not speak of male superiority and thus, emphasizes the equality of men and women in all aspects of life including domestic life. The prophet Muhammad speaks on the topic of family care in which he states that “He is not of us who does not have mercy on young children, nor honor the elderly.” By Islam, women are not to be the only spouse to care for the family, those responsibilities are to be shared among the two spouses. To care and provide for their children and to care for their elder family members as well. Considering the implications of religion on the treatment of women with emphasis on gender disparity in domestic life, this Republic suggests an international educational campaign for the purpose of clearing misguided interpretations of religious texts in relation to gender equality.

Accessibility of Education for Women and Girls:
Afghanistan was improving girls school enrollment rate by 10x since the end of Taliban rule in 2002. About 40% of girls in Afghanistan were enrolled in secondary school as of 2018, making immense progress from the previous figure of 6% enrollment in 2003. Under the Republic, women’s participation in political, economic and social spheres increased, and the gender inequality, while still significant, was lessening in all aspects of life. The Taliban eliminated this progress when they implemented a decree that bans women and girls from secondary schools and universities which has destroyed the economic prospects of women. It is common knowledge that each year a girl is participating in education, her economic prospects increase. These economic prospects could contribute millions to the Afghan economy. It is in our best interest as a nation to advance educational opportunities for women. However, in order to oppress women into submission, the Taliban is enforcing the education ban. By doing so, educated women understand the Taliban’s oppressive desires and they “do not want to confine” (themselves) “to the house.” Women want to continue their education but the Taliban spouts empty promises about allowing them to do so while women know the untrue nature of these promises. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said women would be allowed to continue their education. “There are certain rules during their class time that must be obeyed that they could be safe and sound,” he said.” These “rules,” to no one’s surprise, turned out to be a ban on women and girls attending school or university at all. Every move the Taliban makes, it attempts to justify in the name of Islam, this ban on women’s and girls education is no different. However, once again the Taliban has misconstrued Islamic teachings because “His Holiness (aba) states, ‘at a time when girls were generally deprived of education, Islam championed their right to learning and categorically stated that every girl should be provided education and the means to better herself.’”

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Belgium
Delegate Name: Melanie Milam

Committee: ECOSOC
Topic: Unpaid care and domestic work
Country: Belgium
Delegate: Melanie Milam
School: Williamston High School

The delegation of Belgium acknowledges that unpaid care and domestic work are vital to the functioning of societies around the world. These forms of work, carried out primarily by women have been unseen in social frameworks for centuries. Globally, this form of work is done by women who dedicate endless hours each day to tasks such as household work and taking care of children and/or elderly people without financial compensation or recognition. According to the International Labor Organization, women take on 72% of total hours of unpaid work and domestic care. Belgium recognizes unpaid care and domestic work as demanding and important issues.
Belgium considers that domestic work and unpaid care predominantly fall on women, as women represent the large majority of domestic workers both paid and unpaid. These women provide essential services for not only children but also elderly people, and those with disabilities. Despite the work women are faced with, they also deal with inferior working conditions, informal arrangements, and low pay. Belgium has made it a priority to move forward in addressing these issues through social policies and reforms. For instance, in 2019 Belgium began a reform with the desire to improve the rights and conditions of domestic workers. Belgium also supports ambitions that motivate genders to share care responsibilities and the idea that care work should be distributed more equitably.
Belgium would like to put forward the following key principles: recognition and value for care work, strengthening legal protections, and equal sharing of responsibilities revolving around domestic care. Belgium wants to recognize domestic care both paid and unpaid as a vital piece of global economic and social development. Belgium strongly supports the development of public awareness campaigns for the promotion of shared responsibilities in domestic work and the importance of domestic workers. Belgium would also like to establish standards that protect domestic workers; this includes labor rights and clear contracts, as well as social protection to stop exploitation and discrimination. Lastly, the delegation of Belgium urges international organizations such as UN Women and the International Labor Organization to provide assistance and resources to all Member states as well as initiatives and strategies for addressing unpaid care and domestic work.

Works Cited:

https://www.ilo.org/

FAIRWORK Belgium for Domestic Workers

https://picum.org/blog/undocumented-domestic-workers-go-on-first-ever-strike-in-brussels-belgium/

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Germany
Delegate Name: Hunter Sturm

Country: Germany
Committee: UN Women
Topic: Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Delegate: Hunter Sturm
School: Williamston High School

Around the world, women and girls are facing a crisis. Unpaid domestic work, the jobs people do at home like cleaning, child raising, and cooking are being done by women at an astounding amount compared to men. Based on information from the International Labor Organization, a whopping 76% of unpaid work is performed by women. Put into real money by paying the national minimum wages for that time worked, it would be around 10.8 trillion dollars a year. While this number alone makes this information astonishing, the consequences of women working in these conditions are even worse. Disproportionate gender norms are limiting or even eliminating access for young girls in some areas. A cycle is created, leaving generations of girls working in the same conditions as their mothers before them.
Germany has had its ups and downs when it comes to protecting women’s rights, especially in regards to work. They’ve enshrined into law that “all persons shall be equal before the law”, and that “men and women shall have equal rights”. Both these provisions exist within the German “grundgesetz”, or basic law. This is Germany’s constitution, and was meant to be a placeholder yet has stayed in use since 1949. There have also been federal laws meant to help enforce equal pay between men and women, like the entgelttransparenzgesetz. Yet despite all these protections for paid work, Germany still faces the same issues that other countries do when it comes to unpaid work. Women are still socially expected to maintain the household, performing tasks that aren’t deemed as traditional work. Men are also still looked upon more often as the “breadwinner”, leaving the chores even more up to the women of the household.
In the future, Germany would like to see some improvements to this issue, but would also like to recognize the importance of cultural and societal boundaries. Germany’s past involvements in overarching cultural reforms during World War II have left a lasting impression on the future of their policies. Any solutions, despite the prevalence of the issues at hand, must be able to respect the cultures and societies they are impacting.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Italy
Delegate Name: Abigail McKinney

According to UN Women, approximately 2.8 hours are spent on unpaid care and domestic work by women than by men. This number is projected to progress at a disappointingly slow pace, lowering to 2.3 hours by 2050. This gender gap is most pronounced in lower-middle income countries, likely due to the emphasis on traditional gender roles resulting from limited educational opportunities. Even with the projected improvement, efforts to divide the work more evenly are lacking. Instead, progress is solely attributed to technological advancements that will reduce the time women spend on these chores, while men are not expected to contribute more. The current trajectory shows men increasing their time spent on these tasks by an average of only 13 minutes by 2100.

Italy is committed to improving these conditions, not only within our nation but also by seeking global solutions. We acknowledge having the largest gender gap for unpaid care and domestic work in Europe and aim to address the root causes of this inequality.

A significant factor contributing to global gender inequality is the gender gap in unpaid domestic work, where women disproportionately shoulder the burden. This disparity stems from gender stereotypes and the expectation that women are primarily responsible for household chores. Agenda 2030 seeks to reduce this gender gap under Sustainable Development Goal 5, “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.” This goal targets the dismantling of gender stereotypes that perpetuate the unequal division of unpaid care and domestic work.

Beyond household chores, the Caring Across Generations organization advocates for a comprehensive care system for the elderly and disabled. This initiative would alleviate the burden on women who are often forced to provide unpaid care due to familial obligations. Despite the significant time and energy invested in unpaid care and domestic work, these activities are not recognized as “economic activity” and are not factored into a country’s GDP. Consequently, many nations are less inclined to address the issue, as it does not directly contribute to their global standing. The European Institute for Gender Equality has proposed increasing the number of full-time care positions, which would not only reduce the gender employment gap and provide paid work for many women but also contribute to national GDP.

Historically, Italy has struggled to break free from the stereotype of women as housewives and mothers.

Italy emphasizes the importance of member states working together to challenge the social stereotypes that perpetuate gender inequality and to create opportunities for women to share the burden of unpaid domestic work. These changes must be implemented at all levels. We commend the efforts of local NGOs working to promote gender equality. Additionally, nations should collaborate internationally to address the global issue of gender inequality. Italy recognizes the importance of implementing measures to bridge the gender gap in unpaid care and domestic work and acknowledges the crucial role of women in driving economic growth.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: France
Delegate Name: Grace Johnson

Great Lakes Invitational Module United Nations Conference 2024

UN Women Committee

Delegation of France

Unpaid Care and Domestic Work

A major issue concerning women’s rights in the United Nations today, is the domestic work culture forced upon women. This culture inhibits women from getting jobs with salaries, as it, for one, keeps them from getting a quality education. Women are being kept away from necessary schooling, as they are making up 76.2 percent of the unpaid labor completed in households and farms worldwide. This presents a problem as without women making wages, they are becoming financially dependent on the men in the households, not making it possible to create an independent life for themselves. For example, the global unemployment rate for women is 5.3 percent while men’s is only 5 percent (Gomis). With every additional year a woman is educated, their wages increase by about 20 percent. Therefore, women who aren’t being relied upon for housework, are building a large economic gap between them and those who are unable to get the proper education. According to UNICEF, around 122 million girls nationally are out of school, including 34 million missing out of primary school and 87 million never attending secondary school (Girls’). Also, 91 percent of female youth are literate, but only 41 percent of women go on to have a tertiary education (Dyvik). This proves that domestic labor becomes a larger problem when it comes to women getting college degrees, as most girls are capable to learn in a college environment but end up working in their households instead. Frequently the women with a lack of education still need work to financially aid their families, leaving them to find jobs with a lesser wage and therefore must work more hours. This leaves elderly and kids home by themselves which can lead to problems, as it would be difficult making that switch in homes that initially relied on the women figures to run it.

In the preamble to the French Constitution in 1946, gender equality was established (Preamble). Therefore, this issue is of great concern for France, as France stands by the importance of education for women and gender equality (Girls’). For example, as of 2022, 99.9 percent of girls completed lower secondary schooling (Girls’). But although France stands for equality, domestic labor for women proves to be prominent in France. Although educated, only 52.8 percent of women in France are in the work force compared to 60.1 percent of men in 2023 (Girls’). Covid 19 has made this gap more prominent as because of the lockdowns, mainly women were relied on to quit their jobs, take care of their children’s education, and care for their elders (French). Similarly, in France 76 percent of part time jobs are held by women, as they are relied on at their homes while their husbands work in-person (French). It is found that women spend on average 3.5 hours a day on household chores, compared to men who only spend 2 hours (French). French women also take up 71 percent of housework and 65 percent of parental time (Kandil). These expectations that women are the only ones to care for the household put women at a disadvantage of making an individual life for themselves outside of the house. Although women and men are both educated in France, there is still a precedent on who gets to enter the workforce. Even for the women who do work, there is still inequality as men are earning 28.5% more than women for the same jobs (French). This problem would only add to the idea that women must be the ones that take care of the house, if they earn less than the men when they do work. In the workplace, women only hold 34 percent of senior and managerial positions, another way men in the workplace have an advantage (Girls’). In France only 40 to 60% of jobs are held by both men and women, meaning that companies are struggling with gender segregated hiring, as well (Wisnia-Weill).

To combat this problem of gender inequality in the workplace and in households, the Delegation of France believes education on the issue should be the primary solution. Educating the public through public centers on the current domestic labor gap would aid solving the problem by not keeping people in the dark. Education should also be given to businesses and companies on the wage deficit for women and on the importance of hiring both men and women. Nations in the UN with a wage deficit between men and women need to monitor which businesses are contributing to this inequality and produce statements against such actions. Decreasing the deficit and the male stimulus in the workplace would aid in bringing more women to the work environment, decreasing their unpaid labor in their households. Acknowledging the problem of childcare if both parents are in the workforce, the Delegation of France would also look favorably on accessible childcare centers being built globally, funded by NGOs. The Delegation of France also strongly believes that for domestic labor to not only be put on women, but all women should also have the opportunity for primary and secondary education, because with education comes more job opportunities. To combat this issue, the Delegation of France recommends issuing UNESCO to spread awareness to all areas on the importance of women’s education and to enforce on national levels the priority of them being educated. UNESCO would issue grants to pay for the expenses of schools needing to be put in place to hold the extra students being enrolled. The global NGO CARE would also be utilized as it prioritizes equality in education and rebuilding school systems, so it would help to create the school programs and train teachers (Juda). The Delegation of France although acknowledging the positive impact women may have in households, believes that for our world to prosper, they must be given an equal opportunity to join the workforce.

Bibliography:

Dyvik, Einar H. “Educational Attainment Worldwide by Gender and Level.” Statista, 7 Oct. 2024, www.statista.com/statistics/1212278/education-gender-gap-worldwide-by-level/. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

“Girls’ Education.” World Bank,
www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation#:~:text=According%20to%20UNICEF%20e stimates%2C%20around,male%2C%2090%25%20female). Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

Gomis, Roger. “Women Are More Likely than Men to Want a Job but Not Have One.”
ILOSTAT, 14 Mar. 2024, ilostat.ilo.org/blog/women-are-more-likely-than-men-to-want- a-job-but-not-have-

one/#:~:text=In%20contrast%2C%20the%20global%20unemployment,5%20per%20cent %20for%20men. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Juda, Edyta. “Ten Innovative Ngos in Education.” AU-MIR, 31 Mar. 2021,
ironline.american.edu/blog/ten-innovative-ngos-in-education/. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Kandil, Lamia, and Hélène Périvier. “Sharing or Not Sharing? Household Division of Labor by Marital Status in France, 1985–2009.” SHS Cairn.Info, Ined Éditions, 6 July 2021, shs.cairn.info/journal-population-2021-1-page-149?lang=en. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

“Preamble to the Constitution of 27 October 1946.” European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 6 Dec. 2019, fra.europa.eu/en/law-reference/preamble-constitution-27-october- 1946-2#:~:text=1%20In%20the%20morrow%20of,Work%20on%20rights. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

“The French Brief – the Road to Gender Equality in France’s Labor Market.” Institut Montaigne, 4 July 2021, www.institutmontaigne.org/en/expressions/french-brief-road-gender-equality-frances-labor-market. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Wisnia-Weill, Vanessa and Naves, Marie-Cécile. “Report – Gender Stereotypes and How to Fight Them: New Ideas from France.” Accueil, www.strategie.gouv.fr/english-
articles/report-gender-stereotypes-and-how-fight-them-new-ideas-france. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Thailand
Delegate Name: Tess Kelkar

UN Women
Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Kingdom of Thailand
Tess Kelkar
Forest Hills Northern

Unpaid care and domestic work is defined as the provision of direct or indirect care without remuneration, carried out within the household. It includes caring for children, elderly and sick individuals, washing, cooking, shopping, cleaning and helping other families with their chores. This work does not contribute to the GDP. Globally, 76.4% of unpaid care is performed by women. Women who perform unpaid care and domestic work are not considered to be equal or valuable to society because of the lack of remuneration and contribution to the GDP. The resolution A/RES/77/317 in the UN general assembly has recognized October 29th as the International Day of Care and Support. This deceleration was done to raise awareness for the importance of care and support and its key contribution to the achievement of gender equality and the sustainability of our societies and economies, as well as of the need to invest in a resilient and inclusive care economy, including the development of strong and resilient care and support systems. In the Kingdom of Thailand, 21.7% of working age women perform unpaid care and domestic work. The Kingdom of Thailand is requesting to address this topic because as a developing nation, we need support from the UN to implement the proposed policies in this paper.

Unpaid labor is an issue in the Kingdom of Thailand. Despite our country making significant progress, Women continue to spend 3.2 times more time on unpaid domestic and care work than men. The Kingdom of Thailand has put in effort to try to enact policy that will help unpaid caregivers. The issues that affect the unpaid care givers the most is child-care, elderly-care, social stigma, and lack of job opportunities due to COVID-19. Our nation has implemented some strategies to help alleviate some of this pressure. For example, we offer a government subsidized child care programs for children ages 3-4. We have also joined with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) who are implementing the United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP) accelerating progress towards an integrated and modernized social protection system for everyone in Thailand. This report conducts a policy assessment with the objectives of reviewing existing policy and legislation and identifying barriers for the inclusive, effective and gender-responsive social security coverage of domestic workers.

The Kingdom of Thailand proposes a 6 step solution that targets the main issues that affect women the most; child-care, elderly-care, social stigma, and lack of job opportunities due to COVID-19 as previously mentioned. We propose to implement an educational program for the youth that teaches them about unpaid domestic work and its contributions to our societies, create government funded programs that provide child-care and elderly-care for households with women who are qualified to participate in the workforce but are currently unpaid caregivers, have free primary and secondary education programs for women, implement policies that extend goverment subsidized paid parental leave for men to redistribute the unpaid care done in a household, create policies that decrease the taxes for mulitnational companies that support women in the workforce, child-care and elderly-care, and extended parental leave, and finally implement early childhood education centers that are funded by the government. The Kingdom of Thailand requests the UN committee to help fund these programs.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Algeria
Delegate Name: Sophia Mahajerin

UN Women
Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
Sophia Mahajerin
Forest Hills Eastern High School

Unpaid care and domestic work have deep roots in Algeria, where traditional gender norms have long assigned women the primary responsibility for household labor and caregiving. Algeria was under French rule for nearly 130 years, gaining independence following a revolution in 1962. Its Arabic cultural and Islamic religious roots have shaped the family dynamic far beyond that time frame. This invisible labor, while essential for sustaining families and communities, and while deeply rooted in their culture and traditions, remains unrecognized in official economic statistics, sustaining gender inequality, and holds back the country’s overall development. The United Nations has addressed unpaid care and domestic work through Sustainable Development Goal 5, which calls for its recognition, reduction, and redistribution via public services, infrastructure, and social protection. Additionally, UN Women and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have highlighted its economic value through reports and programs that promote shared responsibility and support systems.

Algeria recognizes the detrimental impact unpaid care and domestic work has had on its citizens, disproportionately affecting women. Algeria does not currently have a national policy specifically addressing unpaid care and domestic work. However, it has made efforts through reforms like the Family Code, and social protection measures such as maternity leave that similarly are geared toward the well being of women. On an international level, Algeria has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which calls for the recognition and redistribution of unpaid care work. Additionally, Algeria has committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5, which focuses on gender equality and the reduction of unpaid care work, and has participated in regional conferences organized by the African Union to promote gender equality and support women’s social policies. While Algerian government support on the international level is encouraging, the lack of formal legislation in the country itself continues to be a barrier for meaningful change in the lives of Algerian women. The hope is that these organizations and efforts can turn the tides.

The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria proposes the implementation of policies that promote shared responsibility between genders. They recommend increased support for resources to help with childcare and eldercare, which is a main source of unpaid work burden. Policies that direct public money into projects that make resources more accessible are important for reducing the burden of unpaid labor, especially in developing countries. Algeria recommends adopting government-sponsored efforts at improving infrastructure in ways that reduce time-intensive household tasks that fall disproportionately on women in the household, such as gathering water. We would like to see a decrease in the amount of unpaid work that falls on women. Algeria commits to worldwide efforts in order to improve the circumstances of women across the world who face similar issues.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Ireland
Delegate Name: Ava Gailits

Country: Ireland
Committee: UN Women
Topic: Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Delegate: Ava Gailitis
School: Williamston High School

Unpaid care and domestic work is an issue that has been plaguing women for decades. Domestic work and household chores are often seen as women’s stereotypical roles in society and the household. Women are known to spend more time caring for their children and the elderly on top of the responsibility of household chores and providing. Depending on how early they are introduced to this, it can hurt their education, leading to fewer opportunities and jobs in the future, contributing to the continuing cycle of unfair gender roles and wage gaps. Along with this, the disproportionate amount of women doing domestic work can lead them to take jobs under their qualifications, creating a larger wage gap between women and men. A study found that on average women make 84% of what men make, meaning they would have to work from January in 2023 to March in 2024 to make what men would in 2023. Many countries also don’t offer paid maternity or paternity leave, leading women to have a harder time balancing work and home life.
Ireland has struggled much with this issue, having the third highest rate of unpaid domestic care in Europe. Ireland is working to decrease this, and has offered some maternity and paternity leave, which studies have shown can have a positive effect on maternal employment, along with free preschool and primary school courses. These allow women to have access to affordable and quality childcare and lessen the amount they have to do around the house. Ireland also supports this issue as an important one that receives a lot of attention in the country, and we are also working on amending article 4.12 of our Constitution, which defines women’s role in the home.
In the future, Ireland believes that it is important to recognize the value of the work women are doing, reduce the amount they have to do, and redistribute it so that the gap between genders is lessened. To start, it is important to acknowledge the valuable work women are doing through cash benefits, such as paid maternity leave. Studies have shown that if they are 12 months or under, they have a positive effect on maternal employment. In addition, it is necessary to reduce the amount of childcare and unpaid work put on women, by providing better free childcare, such as quality publicly funded kindergarten and preschool programs. Another factor in this would be, if needed, better physical infrastructure, such as clean water, health programs, energy, and public transportation. It is also important to try and balance out how unpaid work is distributed between the men and women of a household. Trying to get women more involved in employment may help decrease the amount of time spent on domestic work, as well as provide benefits such as vacation time and a maximum number of working hours. Passing legislation to eliminate pay gaps will also help to even the playing field for working women. Paid paternity leave is important as well, so men can help with childcare and household chores along with their spouses.
Citations:
https://www.esri.ie/news/new-study-shows-significant-weight-of-care-and-unpaid-work-responsibilities#:~:text=There%20is%20a%20significant%20and,same%20amount%20of%20paid%20work
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/irish-spend-over-30-hours-a-week-doing-unpaid-care-housework-1.3951214
https://freepolicybriefs.org/2021/12/20/gender-gap-unpaid-care/

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Indonesia
Delegate Name: Khushi Patel

UN Women
Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Indonesia
Portage Central High School

Indonesian women continue to face immense strain on their lives related to domestic work and unpaid care. Women in Indonesia are burdened with the expectation to be traditional housewives where they take on jobs such as cooking, cleaning, and tending to their families from a very young age. This burden is carried every single day, causing Indonesian women to lose track of their independence. Opportunities such as education and job prosperity start to slip away, leaving detrimental conditions for prosperity. Indonesia has realized how negative this situation is for the many capable women of their country and is looking for changes to ensure women have equal opportunities along with overall life improvisation for women.
The main reason women in Indonesia face problems with unpaid care and domestic work is because of the gap in gender equality from traditional expectations placed on women after marriage. A married woman in rural areas is 11% less likely to be working than a single woman and 25% less in urban areas. Indonesia has addressed this problem of gender equality by working with UN Women. UN Women works with Indonesia and a range of stakeholders to bring change to the lifestyles of these women. Indonesia has joined international agreements like the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), which guide national efforts to promote gender equality. The Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection (MoWECP) leads the preparation of national reports on gender equality, coordinating with ministries, and subnational governments like the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (MoLHR), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), and the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and key stakeholders, including the private sector, business communities, academic institutions, and the media. The ministries have worked to integrate the issues of unpaid care and domestic work when making policies and regulations for gender equality. The BPfA is further supported by Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting (PPRG) policies at national and subnational levels that are crucial for ensuring that the government reflects on the needs of women in terms of the burden of unpaid care and domestic work. The results of this have been the development of policies and regulations that have been crucial in decreasing the gender equality gap, to help alleviate the traditional pressures of being a caretaker of women. Aside from steps taken by the government, UN Women has been doing campaigns to raise awareness around the traditional expectations placed on women and change them to free them of their burden, helping them become independent again while gaining economic autonomy. Through these collaborative efforts, Indonesia is working to ensure women’s empowerment while overcoming the traditional expectations they face.
Indonesia hopes that many other countries start to work together with organizations to come up with policies and agreements that lead to gender equality and the diminishment of traditional expectations that women face. Indonesia also hopes to be able to strengthen campaigns to encourage women to gain track of their independence and take part in the workforce for prosperity.

Citations
https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/732951615961029941/pdf/Indonesia-Country-Gender-Assessment-Investing-in-Opportunities-for-Women.pdf
https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/b30_report_indonesia_en.pdf
https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/countries/indonesia#:~:text=Empowering%20Voices:%20Stories%20of%20Change,to%20tackle%20violence%20against%20women.
https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/stories/press-release/2024/10/un-women-and-partners-observe-international-day-of-care#:~:text=UN%20Women’s%20Transform%20Care%20Investment%20Initiative%20Asia%2DPacific,work%20by%20at%20least%20two%20billion%20hours
https://data.unwomen.org/country/indonesia

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: China
Delegate Name: Hannah Mathew

Committee: ECOSOC – UN Women
Topic: Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: China
Delegate: Hannah Mathew
School: Washtenaw International High School

China is deeply disturbed by the effects of inequality of unpaid care and domestic work on women. As a result of traditional gender roles and patriarchal societal norms, women and girls carry a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work. Furthermore, women have unequal access to education and training, hindering them from getting paid jobs in the workforce. The UN has taken several initiatives working towards solving this issue. GA resolution 77/181, adopted on 14 December 2022, urged member states to promote responsibility of unpaid care and domestic work, recognizing its importance and to implement policy on the issue designed to promote reconciliation of work and family responsibilities. Furthermore, the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, adopted at the final of 4 UN conferences on Women, set strategic objectives in 12 areas of concern, which included women and the economy as well as education and training of women. Despite these initiatives, however, this issue remains unresolved across the globe.

China is severely affected by this issue due to the rapidly aging population and its potential to further exacerbate the burden of unpaid work. We have taken several initiatives to solve this problem which involve giving maternity/paternity leave, provision of care services, strengthening labor relations, and establishing pension systems(in order to help with the aging population and need of domestic work). Our Chinese Women’s Development Programme, starting 2021 and ending 2030, and National Human Rights Action Plan, going from 2021-2025, are being implemented to reduce the burden of unpaid work on women. In response to increasing demand for domestic work, our government issued an implementation plan during our 14th- 5 Year plan, which aims at increasing economic development and innovation in the country. Through these initiatives we are supporting gender equality in domestic work.

China suggests the UN Women committee provide financial support for unpaid care workers. UN Women could do this through providing a subsidy to organizations like the IACO (International Alliance of Carer Organizations) solely intended for the purpose of providing care workers with financial support. China also suggests the committee help increase research done on the global landscape of unpaid work as well as promoting the incorporation of gender-sensitive data collection on the issue, which could be achieved through a subsidy to the ILO intended for the sole purpose of this research. China also encourages UN Women to work with social organizations such as Paid Leave for All on the advocacy for increased paid maternity and paternity leave, which would encourage the redistributing of the responsibility of care work across male and female workers, as this redistribution is key to solving this issue.

Works Cited
Charmes, Jacques . “The Unpaid Care Work and the Labour Market. An Analysis of Time Use Data Based on the Latest World Compilation of Time-Use Surveys.” Ilo.org, ILO Publications, 2019, www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@gender/documents/publication/wcms_732791.pdf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Gammage, Sarah , et al. “A TOOLKIT on PAID and UNPAID CARE WORK: FROM 3Rs to 5Rs TOOLKIT.” June 2022.
“Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly on 14 December 2022.” Documents.un.org, 28 Dec. 2022, documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n22/756/63/pdf/n2275663.pdf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
“Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly on 24 July 2023.” Documents.un.org, 2 Aug. 2023, documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n23/227/29/pdf/n2322729.pdf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
“Roundtable on China Care Economy Policy Actions and International Cooperation | United Nations in China.” China.un.org, china.un.org/en/252472-roundtable-china-care-economy-policy-actions-and-international-cooperation. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
UN Women. “World Conferences on Women.” UN Women, www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/intergovernmental-support/world-conferences-on-women.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Ethiopia
Delegate Name: Zaara Syed

Committee: UN Women
Topic: Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Ethiopia
School: Portage Central High School

The delegation of Ethiopia recognizes the significant role that unpaid care and domestic play in the social and economic development of society. This invisible labor, which is frequently underappreciated, unacknowledged, and mostly unseen in national economic accounting systems, falls on Ethiopian women and girls. While unpaid care and domestic work – which includes things like cooking, cleaning, raising children, and gathering materials – are essential to the operation of households and communities, they are sometimes disregarded when formulating policies. As the Ethiopian nation, resolving the disparities present in this work is crucial to attaining equality, lowering poverty, and guaranteeing sustainable development.
In Ethiopia, as in many countries, unpaid care and domestic work have traditionally been viewed as women’s work. According to the International Labour Organization, women in Ethiopia spend an average of 4.2 hours per day on unpaid domestic and care work, compared to 1.5 hours per day for men. This gender gap in time use is particularly pronounced in rural areas. As a result, women’s unpaid care and domestic labor have not been incorporated into national economic planning, despite their essential role in sustaining households and enabling men to participate in the formal labor market.
Ethiopia recognizes the vital importance of addressing unpaid care and domestic work in the quest for gender equality. While progress has been made in advancing women’s rights and empowering women economically, the burden of unpaid care work remains a major challenge that limits the economic and social advancement of women, particularly in rural areas. The unequal distribution of care work significantly contributes to this disparity, as women are often forced to balance caregiving responsibilities with paid work, leading to time poverty and increased vulnerability to exploitation in the workforce. In rural areas, the gender gap in time use is even more pronounced. This imbalance in domestic labor prevents rural women from accessing economic opportunities, including agricultural training, small business ventures, or paid employment.
Ethiopia suggests the establishment of affordable and accessible childcare services, particularly in rural areas. According to UN Women, only 5% of women in Ethiopia have access to formal childcare. Additionally, supporting community-based childcare initiatives can help reduce the burden of caregiving for rural women. Ethiopia advocates for policies that encourage the redistribution of unpaid care work within households. Expanding access to social safety nets, such as cash transfers and pensions, will help reduce women’s economic dependence on men and enable them to better manage their caregiving responsibilities. Ethiopia also supports the establishment of community-based care systems to provide support for elderly and disabled family members, reducing the caregiving burden on women.
Unpaid care and domestic work remain significant barriers to achieving gender equality in Ethiopia, particularly for women in rural areas. While Ethiopia has made strides in recognizing the importance of women’s economic empowerment, the burden of unpaid care work continues to limit women’s opportunities for social and economic advancement. Ethiopia calls for greater recognition of unpaid care work, increased access to childcare services, the redistribution of caregiving responsibilities, and enhanced social protection systems to enable women to fully participate in the economy and society.

Sources
https://www.ilo.org/publications/gendered-employment-analysis-and-policy-recommendations-ethiopia
https://africa.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/landscape_of_care_-_ethiopia.pdf
https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-06/A-toolkit-on-paid-and-unpaid-care-work-en.pdf

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Saudi Arabia
Delegate Name: Raj Bayyapuneedi

From cooking and cleaning, to fetching water and firewood or taking care of children and the elderly, women carry out at least three times more unpaid work than men. As a result, they have less time to work in paid labour, combining paid and unpaid labour. Women’s unpaid work subsidizes the cost of care that sustains families, supports economies and often fills in for the lack of social services. Yet, it is rarely recognized as work. Unpaid care and domestic work is valued to be 10 and 39 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and can contribute more to the economy than the manufacturing, commerce or transportation divisions. With the onslaught of climate change, women’s unpaid work in farming, gathering water and fuel is growing even more. Policies that provide services, social protection, basic infrastructure, promote sharing of domestic and care work between men and women, and create more paid jobs in the care economy, are urgently needed to accelerate progress on women’s economic empowerment.

According to the International Labor Organization, Women perform over 70% of unpaid labor hours at the international level.

When women lose their time to unpaid care work, they lack crucial time to increase sustainable productivity and better access markets; to know how to claim their rights, to participate in decision making and to rest. When women spend less time on unpaid care work, they have more time for paid work, farming, making improvements to their home or farm, socialising, participating in their community, advocating for their rights, taking a part in family and community decision-making, and resting.Globally, some progress on women’s rights has been achieved. In Saudi Arabia, the adolescent birth rate is 8.3 per 1,000 women aged 15–19 as of 2021, down from 8.65 per 1,000 in 2009.

This has historically always been a problem in Saudi Arabia. As of February 2024, only 19.9% of seats in parliament were held by women. As of Dec-20, only 36.9% of indicators needed to monitor the SDGs from a gender perspective were available, with gaps in key areas, in particular: violence against women, unpaid care and domestic work and key labour market indicators, such as the gender pay gap. In addition, many areas – such as gender and poverty, physical and sexual harassment, women’s access to assets (including land), and gender and the environment – lack comparable methodologies for reguar monitoring.However, we have allowed reform in recent years. We have expanded employment opportunities for women. In 2017, King Salman ordered that women should be allowed access to government services, such as education and healthcare, without needing consent from a male guardian. Closing these gender data gaps is essential for achieving gender-related SDG commitments in Saudi Arabia.

I want to pass new laws and legislation that promote equality for women. I want to close the pay gap. I want to split unpaid care and domestic work between men and women. I think that the United States, Egypt, Japan and Jordan should work together with me and share those same goals.

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: United Kingdom
Delegate Name: Audrey Krajewski

ECOSOC Committee: UN Women
Country: United Kingdom
Delegate Name: Audrey Krajewski
Topic: Unpaid Care and Domestic Work

The Delegation of the United Kingdom recognizes that unpaid care and domestic labor are crucial to the functioning of society and the economy of every nation. We acknowledge that this labor is overwhelmingly shouldered by women, often without adequate recognition, financial compensation, and support. The UK government is committed to addressing the disproportionate burden of unpaid care on women by promoting gender equality and reducing the barriers that unpaid care creates for women’s participation in the workforce.

In the United Kingdom, this unequal distribution of labor has tangible economic consequences. A 2016 report from the Women’s Budget Group estimated that unpaid care work is worth £77.5 billion annually to the UK economy, yet this work remains largely invisible and uncompensated. This lack of formal recognition further exacerbates gender inequality, limiting women’s economic potential and contributing to the persistent gender pay gap. The United Kingdom recognizes that we are not alone in these GDP losses.

Therefore, the United Kingdom calls for the formal recognition of unpaid care and domestic labor through the introduction of financial incentives targeted at caregivers, primarily women. In particular, we propose expanding the United Kingdom’s Carer’s Allowance policy, a financial benefit currently available to those who provide substantial care to family members. Further, we advocate for the creation of a national registry that would track the number of unpaid caregivers in households, providing data that can be used to inform policy and ensure that caregivers receive necessary support.

The United Kingdom recognizes the importance of education and skills development in reducing gender inequality. As a result, we propose creating more accessible pathways for women to return to education or enter the workforce after caregiving breaks. This includes increasing funding for scholarships, particularly for women pursuing careers in high-demand fields such as STEM, healthcare, and education. Additionally, we recommend expanding vocational training programs to allow women who have gained caregiving experience to transition into paid care sectors like nursing, early childhood education, or social work.

The United Kingdom appreciates the work done by several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations that are addressing unpaid care work and looks forward to employing the help of Plan International, Save the Children, and CARE in order to maximize opportunities for women worldwide. Finally, the United Kingdom is committed to working within international frameworks, including the United Nations and the International Labour Organization (ILO), to ensure the development of global standards for recognizing and supporting unpaid care work.

The United Kingdom looks forward to working with all countries in the United Nations body to create innovative solutions that provide solutions to Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Through a combination of policy reform, financial support, access to services, and educational initiatives, we believe that women can be empowered to balance caregiving responsibilities with opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Work Cited
https://www.wbg.org.uk/
https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
https://www.ilo.org/
https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/ngos-right-to-education/

Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Kenya
Delegate Name: Andrew Griffin

Position Paper: Kenya
Committee: United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): UN Women
Country: Kenya
Topic: Unpaid Care and Domestic Work

I. Topic Background Unpaid care and domestic work is part of the global socioeconomic ecosystem and of Kenya as well. From multiple cultural contexts, domestic work like cooking, cleaning, sanitation, fetching water, and rearing children or taking care of adults is expected of women and girls. While this work is vital for families and their operations and sustainability, it exists as an invisible effort—as women receive less acknowledgment of their time and energy—and is overperformed by females. Families continue to live beneath the poverty line and in socioeconomic inequity, and with no clear acknowledgment or reinstitution of unpaid care work, women remain uneducated and without access to a formal work market, inevitably deepening the gap.
II. Where Kenya fits The Kenyan government understands that women are, in a sense, “paying” for this through unpaid care work, which will have socioeconomic consequences for families and future generations within a community for years to come. For example, in more rural areas where natural resources of water and electricity are not made more accessible through infrastructural developments, women are spending hours out of their day either going to get water and returning or cutting down trees to find firewood. This leaves less time for women to engage in income-generating activities or schooling. Thus, the Kenyan government understands that the ideal has to be met to support SDG 5: Gender Equality. Kenya appears to be improving in certain areas of gender inequality. For example, the 2010 Constitution supports the rights of women and men in equal measures. However, this is only an international acknowledgment as unpaid care work and a national acknowledgment as merely advocated support. Kenya has a crisis that must be addressed with international organizations, national NGOs, and community-level participation. Kenya has implemented initiatives such as the Free Primary Education (FPE) to promote access to education for girls; however, educational initiatives mean nothing if girls cannot get to school due to having to do unpaid care work. Recently, developments in amenities and resources such as clean water access and rural electrification have reduced the average hours spent on domestic labor by women; however, resources. Kenya has engaged in efforts with UN Women to advocate for international gender equality and women’s rights.
III. Proposed Solutions Thus, Kenya’s solution to the problem of unpaid care and domestic work includes three parts: Undistributed Value: National awareness efforts to tell people how much unpaid care work is valued and that in-home responsibilities should be equal. Few women admit they do it for free. Rural Infrastructure Increases: Rural infrastructure increases to reduce chore time, from clean water initiatives to sustainable energy to low-cost daycare centers. Education Relocations: Education scholarships and cash transfers to girls from families with care excesses so they’re not tempted to drop out. Community Programs: Collaborate with relevant agencies to train families on how to share caregiving responsibilities at home. Support family caregiving for the elderly that alleviates pressure on women. Social Policy: Advocate for national social safety policies via paid family leave and caretaker stipend policies that acknowledge and redistribute the unacknowledged unpaid caregiving effort. Kenya is committed to working with UN Women and international partners to implement these solutions, addressing the root causes of unpaid care work and promoting gender equality across all sectors.
Works Cited
International Labour Organization. Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work. ILO, 2018.
Oxfam International. Time to Care: Unpaid and Underpaid Care Work and the Global Inequality Crisis. Oxfam, 2020.
United Nations. The World’s Women 2020: Trends and Statistics. United Nations, 2020.
United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Rural Women. The Contribution of Rural Women to Development. UN Women, 2018.

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