Across Africa, a silent labour force toils relentlessly without compensation, recognition, or legal protection. This labour, largely shouldered by women, forms the foundational bedrock of social and economic life on the continent. Yet, in GDP reports, budgetary allocations, and most development plans, it is missing. The unpaid care economy is not merely a domestic matter; it is a national and continental economic issue, one that defines the opportunities women can or cannot access in their lifetimes.
This invisible workload has far-reaching consequences. It determines how many women can pursue formal education, participate in the labour market, or engage in politics and decision-making. The longer it remains undervalued and unsupported, the more it obstructs Africa’s march toward inclusive development.
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The economic value of unpaid care work is staggering. According to a 2023 report by UN Women in partnership with Mali’s National Institute of Statistics, women in Mali spend an average of 24.7 hours per week on unpaid care work, compared to only 6.6 hours by men. If monetised, this work would amount to approximately 17.6% of the country’s GDP. This revelation is part of an ongoing push to quantify what has for centuries remained economically invisible.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) further underscores this imbalance, noting in its 2024 report that 708 million women globally are excluded from the labour force due to unpaid care responsibilities. In sub-Saharan Africa, this burden is even more pronounced because of inadequate infrastructure. In many rural areas, lack of access to electricity, clean water, and public childcare services adds hours of labour to a woman’s daily routine. For example, in Senegal, recent data from the national statistical bulletin released in partnership with UN Women revealed that women spend over four hours a day on unpaid care work, while men spend barely 30 minutes. These figures are not just numbers; they are a mirror reflecting a deep-seated structural gender inequality.
Time poverty, defined as the chronic lack of time for rest, leisure, or personal development due to unpaid obligations, has become a normalised condition for African women. Cultural expectations often dictate that women and girls must manage domestic responsibilities, regardless of whether they are also breadwinners. This culture, deeply embedded in many African societies, is perpetuated from one generation to another, reinforced by a lack of institutional intervention.
Girls, especially those in low-income communities, often assume caregiving roles from early adolescence. The African Development Bank has noted that girls are more likely than boys to miss school due to domestic responsibilities, thus impacting their long-term socio-economic prospects. Without significant structural change, the unpaid care economy becomes a trap, reproducing cycles of poverty and inequality.
Mali – Counting the Cost
Mali offers one of the continent’s clearest examples of measuring and valuing unpaid domestic labour. In 2023, the country became one of the first in West Africa to conduct a national time-use survey in partnership with UN Women and its Ministry of Gender. The findings, which revealed that unpaid care and domestic work contribute an estimated 17.6% to national GDP, prompted the government to explore integrating unpaid care into national policy frameworks. A key recommendation from the study was the expansion of social infrastructure such as childcare centres and access to clean water, aimed at reducing women’s time burden and enabling greater participation in paid employment.
Senegal – From Recognition to Redistribution
Senegal is emerging as a leader in care-sensitive policy reform. The government, with support from international partners, is implementing a bold initiative known as the “3R Programme” (Recognise, Reduce, Redistribute). This approach aims to incorporate unpaid care work into local government investment plans. Pilot programs in rural areas have integrated care work into healthcare models, ensuring that rural women are not excluded from social protection because their labour is unpaid. Senegal’s model is becoming a reference point for other African nations seeking a blueprint for policy innovation.
One particularly transformative outcome has been the reorientation of local budgets to include funding for community-based childcare and water points closer to households, saving women and girls hours of work every week. According to UN Women’s 2023 review of the programme, these efforts have already led to increased school attendance among girls and improved income generation for women previously constrained by time poverty.
The Rwandan Example: Institutional Support at the Workplace
In Rwanda, private sector initiatives are showing that redistribution of care responsibilities is possible with the right infrastructure. Tea plantations, which are among the country’s largest employers of women, have introduced on-site childcare services. The effect has been profound. A study conducted by UN Women and the Rwandan Ministry of Gender showed a reduction in absenteeism among female workers by up to 22%, alongside improved productivity.
These facilities not only reduce the emotional and logistical burden of care on working mothers but also signify a broader recognition of care as a public good. By sharing the care burden between families, workplaces, and the state, Rwanda exemplifies a progressive approach to economic inclusion.
Toward a Gender-Responsive Economy
A care-sensitive economy is not a utopia; it is a necessity. The 2024 ILO Resolution on Decent Work and the Care Economy urges governments to create equitable care systems through investment in care infrastructure, fair labour laws, and social protections. These are not just women’s issues; they are economic imperatives.
Africa’s demographic future depends heavily on its ability to empower its female population. This empowerment will remain incomplete unless the time, energy, and sacrifices women invest in unpaid care work are both recognised and fairly compensated, either through direct remuneration or supportive public policies.
Making the Invisible Visible
The unpaid care economy is Africa’s paradox: indispensable yet invisible, economically vital yet institutionally ignored. The path to sustainable development, gender equality, and inclusive growth lies in unmasking this hidden labour force and restructuring society to share its weight. Africa’s women have for too long borne the burden of a dual economy, one celebrated in the marketplace and another dismissed in the kitchen. Until both are equally valued, empowerment will remain an elusive promise.
Recognising, reducing, and redistributing unpaid care work is not just a policy choice; it is a moral and developmental necessity. As African nations begin to count what truly counts, it is time for the care economy to take its rightful place in the centre of national transformation.
