THE DARK SIDE OF MONETISING UNPAID HOUSEHOLD CARE WORK- INSTITUTIONALISING THE IDEA OF MEN AS ‘PROVIDER’

Abstract

Since 1970s, unpaid care work performed by women within household has been critically examined and various theories and propositions came forward. Workload of a homemaker is defined as labor of love, but their contribution is seldom counted as productive. With various pro women movements and the efforts of international Organisations that fair share must be given to women for their unpaid care work. Even the existing research and policy makers hailed the same idea. There has been a debate whether unpaid care work should be monetised or not. Many of them are of the view that women should be provided salary or wages for their household care work. But another side of the coin which is seldom discussed among the policy makers while considering this contention is that it would institutionalise the ‘master’ role of male members in the family. This paper aims to highlight the fallouts of household care wages for the women and society as a whole and more specifically in developing countries like India. Considering the context of women in unpaid household care work, this paper will examine that what are the negative impacts of monetising household care work of women.