Women, Work, And Economy: The Future Of Care Economy
The care economy refers to paid and unpaid care work that is a crucial component of any welfare state. It includes activities such as caring for children, making sure they are mentally and physically fine, caring for the elderly, the sick, etc. which are all largely seen as women's duty and responsibility. Presently, India's public spending on the care economy is less than 1% of the GDP, relatively low compared to other countries. Now, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Ladies Organization (FICCI FLO) has come up with a roadmap for comprehensive reforms to the nation's care economy. The initiative promises to generate over 11 million jobs, with women poised to claim 70% of these opportunities. But to enable this, what kind of clarity in policy do we need? What exactly is the measure of a working woman - do we need to actively change that in terms of language and connotation?
