Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has called for more investment in Africa’s care economy. She said it could create jobs, grow economies and advance gender equality.
Chikunga is the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. She spoke on Thursday to mark the International Day of Care and Support. She said care services and infrastructure needed funding to ease the unpaid care load on women and girls.
“Care is not a cost to be deferred. It is the foundation of the Africa we want,” the Minister said.
She cited estimates from African countries with time-use data. They show women spend an average of four hours and 23 minutes a day on unpaid care work. Men spend one hour and 18 minutes.
The Minister said this work limits women’s access to education, jobs, business and leadership positions. She said public policies and budgets still largely fail to recognise its economic value.
Chikunga pointed to estimates of what unpaid care and domestic work is worth. In Kenya, it is valued at 23.1% of gross domestic product (GDP). The figure is at least 34.5% in Morocco, 16.8% in Ethiopia and 16.3% in Senegal. In Mali, women’s unpaid work alone was estimated at 17.6% of GDP.
“Care is therefore not marginal to our economies. It is one of their hidden foundations,” she said.
The Minister called for better spending on water, sanitation, clean energy, safe transport and childcare. Early childhood development was also on her list. So were healthcare, disability support and long-term care.
She said poor access to these services made the load heavier for women and girls. This was especially true in communities where households relied on them to collect water and fuel.
Chikunga also raised the conditions of paid care workers. She said many of them face low wages, informal jobs, poor social protection and unsafe workplaces.
“A care economy built on low-paid and unprotected labour cannot deliver quality care, dignity or inclusive development,” the Minister said.
She cited International Labour Organisation (ILO) modelling on a full package of care policies. According to that modelling, the package could lift Africa’s employment rate by 7.5 percentage points by 2035. It could also raise GDP by up to 6% above projected levels.
Chikunga said South Africa was advancing the Common African Position on Care Work across the continent. She said it would guide policy, strengthen cooperation and draw lasting investment into care systems. It is aligned with the ILO’s 5 Rs Framework.
The Minister said these commitments should be backed by stronger domestic funding and budgets that can be tracked. She urged governments to protect care spending during debt pressure, economic shocks, climate emergencies and conflict.
She also called for parental leave and family-friendly workplace policies. She said women and men should share care work more equally.
“Men and boys must share care responsibilities. Communities must value caregivers. Governments must finance and regulate care systems,” the Minister said.
Chikunga called on governments, parliaments, employers and organised labour to turn these commitments into action. She made the same call to development partners and civil society.
Source: this article is based on reporting by SAnews.gov.za. Image: GCIS via SAnews.gov.za. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Business desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Anelisa Nkuna covers business and money news for Tzaneen Voice. Anelisa reports on the rand, fuel prices, interest rates, jobs, Eskom, Transnet, farming and company results. The aim is simple: explain what the numbers mean for household budgets, small businesses and workers in South Africa.