Breathe
By Sonia Garza González
In the latest presentation of the results of the Mexican Unpaid Household Labor Satellite Account (CSTNRHM) 2023, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) reported figures that provide a guideline for the reiterated discussion of the care system in the country.
Before sharing some data with you, I would like to point out that, at a global level, for many decades, the work produced and consumed in households was invisible in the national accounts systems, and was even an issue that generated political dissent because it was not considered an engine of the economy; however, when social development indicators were reviewed, it was recognized that the well-being of the inhabitants is also generated thanks to the fact that in billions of households around the world, hundreds of daily domestic services operate, making it possible for people to perform activities in public life.
When we talk about work, we tend to consider only paid work, i.e., that type of activity that is legally regulated on the basis of a contract, a salary, social benefits, etc. Analyzing the productivity only of regulated activities means ignoring, making visible and underestimating women's work, which is still subordinated to an archaic sexual division that must be overcome in order to evolve, because these activities have been and are performed free of charge by women, within a social structure that even classified them as inactive or housewives, although numerous studies show that the number of hours dedicated to these activities exceeds many other activities considered professional.
Being a housewife is a job that is not highly valued in terms of social and economic hierarchy, obviously, but without it, the stability of the family system -and I dare say at the national level- would not be the same.
The invisibilization of housewives is a way of maintaining the submission and exploitation of many women who have come to believe that their work will never be up to the level of their husband's job and that they will always be indebted to him for not contributing money to the family nucleus. And a harsher existence for women who are the sole breadwinners for their children and even their families, since the burden of providing for the welfare of all is multiplied. Let us look at some figures that show asymmetries that, I insist, must be urgently modified:
- In 2023, the economic value of domestic and care work performed by the population aged 12 and over was 8.4 trillion pesos. This amount is equivalent to 26.3% of the Gross Domestic Product of the total economy. Of this amount, women contributed 71.5 percent and men 28.5 percent.
- The value generated by unpaid work in households exceeded that of some economic activities, such as manufacturing industry (20.3 %) and commerce (18.6 %).
- When the unpaid work of households is broken down by type of activity, care and support contributed 24.5 % of the total economic value, cleaning and housekeeping activities participated with 23.8 %; food activities, with 21.9 %; household shopping and administration, with 13.0 %; helping other households and volunteer work, with 8.8 %; and cleaning and care of clothing and footwear, with 7.9 %.
- The annual net economic value was 63,033 pesos, on average, per person. Of this amount, each woman performed unpaid work in domestic and care work equivalent to 86,971 pesos per year. Each man performed similar activities for an average amount of 36 471 pesos.
With these (minimal) data, is it so complex to understand that when household chores are not performed, societies do NOT work? What is your opinion?
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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