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
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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.
