Seven out of ten women are responsible for unpaid household chores

Recently, the economist Claudia Goldin she became the third woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics for her studies on the evolution of women in the labor market, wage gaps and the challenges they currently face.

Thus, Goldin describes that there was no ascending growth, but rather a ‘U’ shape (See graph), where according to the structures of each era, it went from an agricultural society to an industrial one, and by the beginning of the 20th century observed more female participation in the workplace thanks to increased educational opportunities, changing career expectations for young women, and access to contraception and family planning. Despite progress, inequalities remain wide.

Home care

The latest survey on representations of care work in Peru, prepared by the Institute of Peruvian Studies (IEP), Oxfam and the Flora Tristán Peruvian Women’s Center, revealed that 7 out of 10 people indicated that in their home the woman is the main person responsible for domestic responsibilities, but only 31% consider that this activity should be paid.

In contrast, more than half believe that it should only be paid if it is a person outside the family. This reflects a panorama where nearly 70% of women He performs this work without remuneration.

Current difficulties

In this context, Sadith Sarmiento, project coordinator at the Forge Foundation, points out that, although Goldin’s studies focus on developing the situation of women in the United States over 200 years, they are also a reflection of the female working conditions in several countries, including Peru.

In particular, the Nobel Prize winner’s analysis indicates that work difficulties increase more sharply after the birth of the first child.

“There is a break when women begin to have responsibilities at home. The organization of the economy demands presence, and they cannot be 100% if they are in charge of domestic care and children,” Sarmiento told La República.

Furthermore, he specified that in Peru, 7 out of every 10 young people are informal, of which 5 are women because they do not adapt to formal schedules.

Another key factor is high wage inequalities. According to him INEIAs of the second quarter of 2023, the difference in income between men and women amounted to S/500. If we focus only on regions, this disparity even rises to S/700 or even S/900.

National Care Law

To address this situation, Liz Meléndez, executive director of the Flora Tristán Peruvian Women’s Center, mentioned that it is necessary to implement a National Care Law that guarantees a system of quality services for the care of children, adults or with disabilities.

This is because there are currently no accessible public services that provide this safe care option.

“This lack has a major impact on women who take on these tasks and ultimately have more precarious jobs or postpone their possibilities for professional development,” said Meléndez.

She explained that this work is often considered free time, but many times the women who perform these tasks face stressful situations, and can be emotionally affected and even neglect their own well-being while caring for others.

Compatible care tasks

Approach. Carolina Trivelli, IEP researcher

Peru is a country with a high rate of female participation in the labor market compared to other countries in the region. However, women remain overrepresented in the informal sector, in the service sector and in those with lower remuneration. In addition, they have a heavy load of care tasks, so they need jobs that fit with those tasks.

So, in general, and in relation to the conclusions found by the Nobel Prize winner, women tend to prefer jobs that are flexible, and we even sacrifice income levels for these facilities. That is one of the great challenges, that care tasks are compatible with work tasks. The private sector must also realize that allowing shifts of different lengths or teleworking is an option that allows more women to make their talent available.