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:
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Gomis, Roger. “Women Are More Likely than Men to Want a Job but Not Have One.”
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