Available data at the global level reveal that women spend 3 times as many hours on unpaid domestic and care work compared to men
29 August 2023 – Gender statistics experts will convene at the 9th Global Forum on Gender Statistics that kicks off today at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa to highlight the criticality of gender data to support evidence-based policies for an informed care economy.
Care is fundamental to the wellbeing and prosperity of individuals, societies, and economies. As the world faces multiple and interconnected global crises, the importance of comprehensive care systems that ensure the wellbeing of people and the planet has become even more central to promoting gender equality and achieving sustainable development.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the unequal distribution of paid and unpaid care work. Women drive the care economy, both paid and unpaid. Two out of three paid health professionals, personal care workers and domestic workers are women. Women also perform ? of the unpaid work at home: cleaning, cooking and taking care of children and older people (, UN DESA).
Organized by the Statistics Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in collaboration with Statistics South Africa, the UN Forum brings together producers and users of gender statistics from national and international statistical offices, other government agencies and partners to seek measures to improve data to tackle the growing challenges as well as leverage the opportunities offered by the care economy.
The theme of the Forum is “Measuring what we value - gender statistics for an informed care economy”. Among other themes, the Forum will discuss strengthening statistical systems to measure and monitor care demand, provision, and its impact on gender equality to inform policies that recognize, redistribute, and value care work.
“In South Africa, gender disparities in the care economy can clearly be seen when one looks at information related to why young people have left school: 13% of young women who left school indicated that they did so due to family commitments, as opposed to only 1% of young men. The burden to care for loved ones weighs more on women; as a result, they are deprived of opportunities to attain education and actively participate in the labour force,” said the Statistician-General of South and head of Statistics South Africa, Mr. Risenga Maluleke.
“Understanding the amount of time people spend on unpaid domestic and care work can improve the way we measure prosperity and progress. Unpaid work, mainly performed by women, while crucial for the well-functioning of societies, remains invisible in traditional macroeconomic indicators. However, thanks to data on the different allocation of time between women and men, we can now shed light on the tremendous contribution that women make to both the society and the economy”, said Assistant Director of the UN DESA Statistics Division, Ms. Francesca Grum.
The Global Forum on Gender Statistics is held every two years. This is the second time an African country hosts the forum, after Ghana in 2009. The Forum will enable participants to share good practices for the production and use of relevant, high-quality gender data, and to learn about the latest international statistical standards.
Participants will also strategize on how to make the best out of existing data, including by mainstreaming a gender lens into existing data processes. Additionally, the Forum will provide an opportunity to assess and learn of good practices in producing and using gender statistics in the African region.
The Forum will broadcast live on the UNSD YouTube channel:
For more information, please visit the event website: