Activists call for labour law reforms to include 'care work'

Reforms in labour laws and state policies should be undertaken to include 'care work' as a key component for national development, activists and scholars have said.
Talking about the political economy of unpaid care work, senior feminist economist Devaki Jain said that the "3 Cs" -- Caring, Cleaning and Childcare -- need to be included in the official economic statistics.
"The home should be recognised as a workplace. Housing should become a public good provided by the state like factories for factory workers. In fact, home-based work is the biggest category of occupation amongst women in India. Basic services and facilities, for example, a community centre, can make a big difference," says Jain.

She was participating in a two-day convention, 'Who Cares?', that began here today. The meet has drawn researchers, scholars, mediapersons and activists who are discussing their views on the topic of unpaid and underpaid care work in India.
"Since women's work is undervalued, all the work which they do in the market is also under-valued. So, for me, the valuation issue is a big thing, because unless you give its due, nobody is going to recognise it. So, that's where we should bring in the men and suppose they start doing the care work, then the value of care work will go up," said Preet Rustagi, Professor, Institute of Human Development.

Rustagi cited the example of how, attracted by its prospects abroad, more men are entering the field of nursing.
"Now, more men are entering the nursing field because, internationally, nursing is a more viable option. More men migrate out and not women as women have all sorts of compulsions from the families. We could have never thought of nursing as a male option when we grew up. The market interface for jobs is a very critical element," Rustagi added.