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Centring care in India’s economic policy
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Context
The Union Budget 2025 allocated a record Rs 4,49,028.68 crore to the Gender Budget (GB), a 37.3% increase from FY24, constituting 8.86% of the total Budget. However, this rise is driven by the inclusion of PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (24% of GB) rather than investments in care infrastructure or gender-responsive policies, missing an opportunity to strengthen India’s care economy.
Burden of Unpaid Care and Domestic Work (UCDW)
- Disproportionate Burden on Women: Globally, women spend 8% of their time on UCDW, but Indian women bear a much higher burden, with 40% more UCDW than their counterparts in South Africa and China.
- Labour Force Exclusion: 53% of Indian women remain outside the workforce due to care responsibilities, compared to 1% of men, creating ‘time poverty’ and worsening gender inequities.
- Infrastructure Gaps & Climate Impact: Women spend 73% of their time on unpaid tasks due to poor access to water, clean energy, and sanitation; water-related unpaid labour may cost $1.4 billion by 2050 under a high-emission scenario.
Policy Framework and Existing Challenges
- Limited Recognition in Economic Planning: India’s 2019 Time Use Survey revealed women spend 7 hours daily on UCDW, yet care work remains invisible in formal policy and GDP calculations.
- Insufficient Investment in Care Infrastructure: Despite highlighting care economy in the Economic Survey 2023-24, the Union Budget 2025 fails to allocate substantial funds to childcare, eldercare, and assistive services.
- Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) Implementation Gaps: While JJM has been extended to 2028, its 4.51% budget cut and 195% rise in Revised Estimates (RE) indicate fund allocation issues, affecting water accessibility for rural women.
Solutions and Way Forward
- Three R Framework – Recognise, Reduce, Redistribute: Recognising UCDW in official statistics, Reducing the burden through time-saving technologies, and Redistributing responsibilities across the State, market, and households.
- Public Investment & Urban Challenge Fund: 2% GDP investment in care work could create 11 million jobs; ?1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund can finance bankable care infrastructure projects for urban women.
- Women’s Representation in Decision-Making: Exclusion from policy-making weakens gender-transformative policies; higher female representation improves policy effectiveness by 6-7 times, ensuring inclusive development.
Practice Question
Q: How does the burden of unpaid care work impact women’s workforce participation and economic development in India? Suggest policy measures for its recognition, reduction, and redistribution.
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