Answer

Introduction

Women perform nearly 75% of unpaid care work globally (UNDP 2021), contributing nearly 9% of the global GDP, if valued.  Despite its foundational role in sustaining the workforce and social well-being, the care economy remains largely invisible in national income accounting. Bridging this divide is essential to achieve gender-equitable growth.

Body

Difference between ‘care economy’ and ‘monetized economy’

Measures to Integrate Care Economy into Monetized Economy through Women Empowerment

• National Care Economy Policy Framework: Introduce a dedicated policy to define, quantify, and mainstream care work, for legal recognition and formalisation with targeted schemes for women care workers.
  Eg: Argentina’s Federal Care Map serves as a global template.
• SHG-Led Women-Owned Care Enterprises: Empower SHGs to run neighbourhood creches, tiffin services for the elderly, or home healthcare cooperatives,  formalising care while building women’s entrepreneurship.
  Eg: Kudumbashree (Kerala) and Mission Shakti (Odisha) support such models.
• Universal Wage and Social Security for Care Workers: Establish minimum wage floors and universal social protection (pension, insurance, maternity benefits) for domestic workers, Anganwadi workers, and ASHAs, most of whom are women.
  Eg: ILO Recommendation 204 supports transition from informal to formal work with protections.
• Public Investment in Care Infrastructure: Expand day-care centres, elderly homes, and disability support services to create paid jobs for women while reducing the unpaid care burden.
  Eg: National Creche Scheme + convergence with PM POSHAN and Anganwadi networks.
• Skill Mapping and Upgradation for Care Workers: Launch a national programme to certify, upskill, and internationally deploy care workers, especially from rural/SC/ST backgrounds.
• Gender-Sensitive Labour Laws and Data Inclusion: Amend labour codes to recognise domestic and care work as economic activity and include care services in GDP and NSSO labour data to reflect women’s contribution.

Conclusion

As India aspires to a $7 trillion economy, integrating the care economy through women’s empowerment offers a transformative pathway. A shift from informal, invisible labour to formal recognition and remuneration, backed by skill development, social protection, and public investment, can turn care into both an economic engine and a gender equaliser.

DOWNLOAD PDF