SOUTH AFRICA

Making unpaid care work visible in a gendered economy

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CWW research in South Africa reveals that women still do the vast majority of unpaid care work, even in a context of high unemployment when we might expect men to have more time to share unpaid care work with women.  This is partly due to the high prevalence of labor migration which separates men from their families for long periods of time.  Traditional ideas of "women's work" play a part as well, to the potential detriment of girls seeking education and women seeking greater participation in paid labor.  

The South Africa CWW team has shared research with many policymakers in South Africa, and has been an important part of spreading the NTA/CWW approach to understanding age and gender in economies to other countries in Africa. 

 

South Africa

Morné Oosthuizen

deputy director

development policy research unit, university of cape town

Morne.Oosthuizen@uct.ac.zam