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Description
This project covers four main goals. Firstly, to estimate the level of consumption of unpaid work – care work and domestic work. Adopting the Escala Durán, and using the INUT 2015 database, the distribution of the consumption of unpaid work by age groups will be estimated, specifying the annual volume of hours of unpaid care and domestic work consumed by each age group. On the other hand, prospective sceneries will be designed on the demand for care, up to 2050. Sceneries will be also discussed and validated on the distribution of this kind of unpaid work between women and men in the families, the volunteering, the State / public services and the market. Secondly, the project aims to estimate the monetary value of women’s and men’s unpaid work - care and domestic work. Two complementary methodological approaches will be applied: the opportunity cost and the market replacement. This estimation exercise will aim to associate to the recognition and valuation of unpaid work, typically interpreted as measurement, a dimension of justice and well-being of women and men, by the adoption of the Triple R Framework – Recognise, Reduce, Redistribute unpaid care and domestic work. Thirdly, the project is aimed at estimating the impact of women’s and men’s unpaid work - care and domestic work – on the national economy, and on the GDP in particular. The contribution of unpaid work - care and domestic work – to the national economy, and especially to the GDP, as well as to the individual well-being of women and men, and to the family and societal well-being, will be estimated. This exercise will feed into a proposal for a satellite account regarding unpaid care and domestic work, in the System of National Accounts. Finally, the study will produce public policy recommendations.
Summary of project results
This project aimed to addresse key questions related to the scale and valuation of unpaid care work, its economic impact, and the formulation of comprehensive public policy recommendations in alignment with gender-sensitive transformative principles.
Project ‘The value of unpaid work by women and men – care work and domestic work’ has fully accomplished its objectives and its results were described and made available in different outputs (in Portuguese).
The Project contextualised the theme of unpaid care and domestic work in terms of the evolution of family structures, fertility and care needs. It has also analysed the (in)accessibility of the private contracting of services, as well as the public policies in place granting rights regarding care provision. Finally, it analysed existing gender asymmetries in unpaid care and domestic work on the basis of time use studies in Portugal.
The Project then estimated the consumption of unpaid care work in the present and in the short and medium term, based on prospective scenarios regarding the demand of care till 2050 (Factsheet 1).
Furthermore, it estimated the monetary value of unpaid care and domestic work using different methods (Factsheet 2), as well as its contribution for Portugal’s economy in general and for the GDP in particular (Factsheet 3).
Finally, the Project has systematised a set of Recommendations of Public Policy which integrate proposals for concrete intervention on the basis of a gender-sensitive transformative approach that advocates the recognition of care as a human right (Factsheet 4).
The several results were presented and widely discussed in focus-groups with the participation of about 20 experts and also during the Project’s Conference, which was held in Lisbon, on 19 May 2022 with several dozens of participants in presence. A Synthesis of the project’s results was distributed to each and every participant. A Brochure including all the project’s results was made available online.
Knowledge on workplace-related gender equality generated
The project has achieved its objectives:
i) Estimate the extent of unpaid care labor and develop prospective scenarios regarding care demand, as well as its redistribution, until 2050;
ii) Estimate the monetary value of unpaid work performed by women and men - both care and household tasks - associating the recognition and valuation of unpaid work with dimensions of justice and well-being for women and men;
iii) Estimate the impact of unpaid work performed by women and men - care and household tasks - on the national economy, particularly on the GDP, as well as on the individual well-being of women and men, and on family and societal well-being; and develop a proposal for a satellite account of unpaid care and domestic work, thus fostering innovation in the National Accounts System, and overcoming the limitations that have been identified in relation to GDP as an economic performance and social progress indicator;
iv) Develop recommendations for public policy, as well as concrete intervention proposals, with the aim of Recognizing, Reducing, and Redistributing unpaid care and domestic work, in a gender-sensitive transformative approach that advocates for the recognition of care within the scope of human rights.
In terms of impact, the innovative nature of many of the activities carried out has made it possible to provide a collection of information from which further activities can be developed.
Secondly, a process has been initiated to create a satellite account that includes unpaid care and domestic work.
Thirdly, the Promoting Entity emphasized the production of public policy recommendations, whose well-founded reasoning and solid argumentation could serve as a foundation for future steps.
Summary of bilateral results
The implementation of all activities was monitored through participation in partnership meetings; active engagement in Activities 1, 2, and 3, including sharing literature and other relevant information; participation in Activity 5, specifically by incorporating project-related information on its website.Moreover, there are prospects for potential new partnerships with the Norwegian partner entity, ISR.