IMPINGEMENT OF UNPAID WORK IN INDIAN ECONOMY WITH

SPECIAL REFERENECE TO WOMEN

Harshmander Rastogi and Deeksha Shrivastava1

SUMMARY

The issue of unpaid work is widely considered as a part of conventional economy. It is topic of
great concern even at global conferences and summits organised for the development of society.
Labourers, being an integral part of Indian economy, play an indispensable role in the economy of
the country not only in terms of development but also in supporting it.

It is often wrongly held that anyone who works as a workman for an employer is a labourer.
Presence of an employer-employee or a master-servant relationship is not the determining factor to
qualify as a labourer; Any task, whether mental or physical, which is done for self or others,
irrespective of whether wages are received in return or not, done by a person who is either a servant
or a family member or an employee is considered as work and any person performing such an act is
considered as labourer. Despite the fact that every work done by a labourer requires skill, labour or
both, not every labourer receives wage or remuneration for their labour; many work despite not
receiving any form of incentive whatsoever. Such work constitutes “unpaid work”.

According to various surveys conducted throughout the country, a huge amount of labour goes
unpaid and this does not contribute in any form to the economy of the country. Such work may fall
within Production Boundary and can be termed as Labour of System of National Accounts (SNA).
Such type of labour generally includes the work related to family enterprises which are carried out
for its own consumption like collection of fodder, fuel, woods, food etc. Alternatively, Unpaid
Work may fall within General Production Boundary but not within Production Boundary and such
work is generally termed as Non-SNA unpaid work. It includes daily activities required for the
maintenance and welfare of the household, such as cooking of food, washing of clothes and taking
care of children and the old.

Being a form of work where there is no formal employer-employee relationship, the gross
inequality of unpaid work does not fall within the ambit of Minimum Wages Act, as it is applicable
only for works where there is payment of any form of remuneration or reward. However, it is
opined that the Directive Principles of State Policy, requiring the payment of equal wages for equal
work, should be applied for unpaid work and relief should be provided for the same.

Unpaid form of work is prevalent in households where some members of the family work for the
benefit of the family without being paid in any form in return. Also the concept of overtime
unpaid work is also largely prevalent; in such a form of unpaid work, the labourer is asked to
work for a period of time greater than what is required from the contract of employment.

In India, a large portion of unpaid work is performed by women, because being the weaker
section of the society, they are not given adequate opportunities to go out and earn a living for
themselves. Due to the regressive nature of Indian Society, women are forced to work at home
and perform domestic chores, for which they are not provided any monetary reward.
1
Student, B.A.LL.B. (Hons.), Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur & Student, B.E. (EC Branch), Bansal
Institute of Science and Technology, Bhopal respectively.
The concept of care economy, which originated in the ancient times and is still largely prevalent,
is widely cited as the reason behind non-payment of wages for the work done by women for
taking care of children, old age and sick person of home. In India, Women are considered as
“Ghar ki Laxmi” and by virtue of such title being assigned to them, a woman is made the natural
care-taker of the children of the household till they reach their maturity. Conveniently, it is
regarded as the solemn duty of the wife, or “Stri Dharma”, to take care of the family and the
household, thereby releasing the men from any form of responsibility towards the same. This
leads to the restriction of women from participating in professional activities, handicapping them
from any real opportunity to earn. Due to such unjust and archaic distribution of responsibilities,
the woman is never paid or rewarded in any form for the labour she puts in, for nurturing the
household. Thus, this work remains outside the purview of the economy of the country. Being
regarded a woman’s “natural” work - performed in the “private” sphere of the family - unpaid
care work hides away its economic dimensions and contributions. In this modern age, notions of
unpaid work for women should not be appreciated and the concept of Paid Care Economy should
be promoted by the Government in order to bridge the gap between the earning capacities of the
two sexes.

In an attempt to resolve the problem of unpaid work and its relation with the economy of the
country various economists and theorists have even tried to evaluate the valuation of unpaid
work. Some believe in deriving a monetary basis of the work done by them while others maintain
that such work cannot be calculated monetarily as its value is greater than its mere physical
labour. There is also a difference in opinion as to which method is more appropriate in valuating
unpaid work.

This paper is an attempt to understand the basic concepts and processes which are involved in
understanding the mechanism of unpaid work and it focuses mainly on the different forms of
unpaid work and how it is affecting the economy of the country. It analyses how it affects the
economy of the country and the extent to which women are involved in the categories of unpaid
work. Women’s contribution in the household which is veiled in the form of Care economy is
also highlighted. This paper also talks about how the said work done by women is undervalued
and the lack of dignity of labour thereof. Calculation and evaluation of unpaid work is also
discussed in this paper. Moreover comparison of India with other countries is also been made in
regard to Unpaid work in order to understand the situation at global level Suggestions and
opinions are also given for improvements of the same.