Opinion | Are we training our daughters to be unpaid workers?
Summary
Nepal’s official labour statistics undercount women’s work by ignoring unpaid care and household labour, masking a large economic contribution and a persistent gender gap. The piece argues that girls are still being educated for less, with families spending more on sons’ schooling and the country losing billions in potential output.
Key Points
- Official labour statistics count only paid work, leaving out the unpaid domestic and care labour most women do.
- A time-use study and World Bank data suggest Nepali women spend far more time on unpaid work than men, and their contribution is worth more than the average recorded output per person.
- Families in Nepal still spend more on sons’ education than daughters’, and boys are more likely to attend private schools.
- The article urges annual reporting of unpaid work, sex-wise private school enrollment data, and targeted scholarships for girls in secondary school.
