The gender division of labor refers to the systematic differences in how men and women allocate their time between paid and unpaid work. Evidence from time use studies across all countries with available data reveals a consistent pattern: men spend more time on paid market work, while women dedicate significantly more time to unpaid domestic work, such as childcare and household chores. This division is particularly pronounced within families.

Gender Division of Labour

Unpaid household production, such as cooking, cleaning, and childcare, represents a significant form of non-market activity that is excluded from official GDP figures. National statistical offices omit this work primarily due to the difficulty in assigning it a reliable market value. Historically, this omission was often considered a minor problem by economists, a view potentially influenced by the fact that women perform a large share of this labor.

Omission of Unpaid Household Production from GDP

Unpaid work encompasses all productive activities performed without financial compensation. This includes a wide range of essential tasks such as household chores (cooking, cleaning), caregiving for children and the elderly, and volunteer services. Although it does not contribute to GDP, unpaid work is fundamental to household well-being and the broader economy's functioning.

Google

Women are observed to put in an average of 26 hours of unpaid labor a week while men are observed to put in an average of 17. Unpaid labor typically refers to tasks such as cooking, gardening, odd-jobs, and others. In addition, women are more likely to take care of non-working and working individuals within a household while working themselves. 
Takeaway: Women provide the main support for capitalism through their unpaid labor 

Gender Oppression in Capitalism 

- Over 3/4 of workers working low wage jobs are women and over 1/3 of those are women of color 
- U.S. is one of the 4 countries that lacks paid maternity leave
- More than 1/3 of working women do not have sick leave 

Learn Before

Related

Learn After