Unpaid care work hinders women’s economic potential – FG

The Federal Government has called for urgent investment in Nigeria’s care economy, warning that the disproportionate burden of unpaid care and domestic work on women and girls is limiting their access to education, employment, entrepreneurship, income and leadership opportunities.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Esuabana Nko Asanye, raised the concern on Tuesday at the National Health Economics Summit and Development Workshop held at the Wells Carlton Hotel, Asokoro, Abuja.

Asanye said millions of women, particularly those from poor and vulnerable families, were often forced to choose between earning an income and caring for children, the elderly, people with disabilities and other family members due to inadequate access to affordable care services.

She said Nigeria has failed to fully exploit the productive potential of women, while inequalities in care responsibilities continue to limit their participation in the formal and informal economy.

“This is not simply a women’s issue. It is a matter of economic efficiency, social justice and national development,” the Permanent Secretary said, underlining the need to move away from viewing care as an invisible family responsibility to recognizing it as part of the country’s essential economic infrastructure.

According to her, Nigeria’s changing demographics, rapid urbanisation, evolving family structures and growing demand for childcare, healthcare, disability support and eldercare make it necessary to rethink how care is organised, financed and delivered.

It noted that investments in the care economy could expand early childhood development services, child care centers, community and home care, disability support, elder care and other professional care services, while creating job opportunities for women, youth, entrepreneurs, cooperatives, social enterprises and private sector providers.

Asanye also called for better data on unpaid care work, stressing that while such work is often excluded from national income statistics, it provides significant economic value by enabling other family members to participate in paid work and other economic activity.

He also called for stronger links between welfare policies and social protection programmes, saying that families should not be pushed into poverty because they have children, elderly people, people with disabilities or relatives who need intensive care.

It identified child benefits, cash transfers, disability support, maternity protection and other family support interventions as measures that could help reduce the economic burden of care on vulnerable families.

The Permanent Secretary said the Ministry remains committed to strengthening early childhood development and child care systems, supporting families and caregivers, promoting women’s economic empowerment, improving social protection, and promoting decent work and quality care services.

She stressed that building a sustainable care economy requires whole-of-government collaboration, highlighting that the sector cuts across women’s issues, finance, labor and employment, health, education, social development, housing, infrastructure, agriculture, youth development and the private sector.

Asanye urged stakeholders at the summit to develop practical recommendations and partnerships that could translate into policies, programs and investments, saying the care economy should be moved “from the fringes of politics to the center of our national development agenda”.

She said the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development will continue to work with government institutions, development partners, academia, civil society and the private sector to build a care system that is accessible, affordable, inclusive, gender-sensitive and centered on human dignity.

In his speech, the Director of Child Development at the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development, Ali Andrew Madugu, said Nigeria’s care economy represents a major opportunity to create decent employment, empower women and strengthen the country’s human capital.

Madugu said the summit was convened to bring together government institutions, development partners, private sector organisations, civil society, academia, healthcare workers, families and other stakeholders to address the care economy, which he described as a fundamental but often overlooked pillar of society.

She said the care economy could help Nigeria recognize care as valuable work, while also creating job opportunities and improving the well-being of children, families and caregivers.

She commended the Minister of Women’s Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, for endorsing the summit, noting that it demonstrated commitment to developing policies and structures to advance healthcare reforms in the country.