📷 'Incorporate unpaid care work into national plans, budgets'

KAMPALA - They work like machines. Their job burden includes tilling gardens, taking care of children, cooking food, washing dishes and clothes, ironing clothes, mopping the house and diligently ensuring that all the other household chores are done. But for no pay!

According to the state minister for gender and cultural affairs, Peace Regis Mutuuzo, the time, effort and resources that people especially women invest in carrying out care activities enables households, communities, workplaces and economies to thrive, therefore, calling on the government to ensure unpaid care work are incorporated in national plans and budgets.

Peace Mutuuzo, the Minister of state for Gender and Culture presides over the Commemoration of the International Day of Care and Support at Royal Suites Hotel in Bugoloobi, Kampala on Tuesday October 29, 2024. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

“The patriarchal society, in which women continue to be viewed by themselves and others as caregivers, and men as protectors, has contributed to undermine and perpetuate inequalities in the provision of care work.

Evidence shows that women tend to undertake heavy care roles as well as take on additional family responsibilities. This calls for having relevant policies in place and meaningful dialogue with key stakeholders to tackle social norms that discriminate against one category and privilege the other,” the minister, noted.

Gender minister Peace Mutuuzo hands over an accolade to Sanyu Babies Executive Director Barbara Nankya Mutagubya. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

In her speech, the minister noted that the country needs to rethink its use of GDP as the main measure of economic growth because it does not consider the time and labour involved in unpaid care and domestic work, which heavily subsidizes the market economy.

The minister made the remarks yesterday during the commemoration of the International Day of Care and Support at Royal Suites.

The day, as ratified by the United Nations, recognises the unequal burden of unpaid care and household work on women and girls, as well as emphasising the importance of addressing these systemic impediments to women’s empowerment. The theme of the day was “Transforming Care Systems to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in the Context of Beijing +30,”

Care work is the heartbeat of every society but in Uganda, most care work such as caring for children, elderly and sick people and those living with disability, as well as preparing food is not recognised as an activity that has economic and social value.

(Front L-R) Lydia Nakato, programme officer/Economist UWONET, Jane Ocaya-Iroma, Women's Rights Advisor OXFAM Uganda, Barbara Nankya Mutagubya, Executive Director Sanyu Babies home and Madina Guloba, a Senior Reaserch Fellow EPRC display accoldes awarded to their organizations in appreciation of their dedicated service towards advocating for care and support for the most valnerable people in society. (at the back centre) is Doreen Bakeiha from MGLSD. This was during the commemoration of the International Day of Care and Support at Royal Suits Hotel in Bugoloobi on Tuesday October 29, 2024. ((Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

Yet, statistics show that care work accounts for $10.8trillion of global output per year.

The care economy is largely gendered with women shouldering the biggest share of the burden, yet little attention is paid to the impact such work has on a woman’s life.
Speaking to New Vision, the director of Sanyu Babies' Home, Barbara Mutagubya, also noted that there is need to make deliberate investments to address issues within the care economy through a multi-sectoral approach.

Minister Mutuuzo (left) hands over an accolade to Lillian Mpabulungi Ssengooba, Head of Gender Justice & head Advocacy CARE International in Uganda. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

“Many charity institutions offering care to abandoned babies, orphans and elderly people need so much help because we often rely on donations and well-wishers generosity and yet it takes a lot of resources to take care of such children. Many children are abandoned with diseases and we use a lot of money to take care of them, so if government considers putting our organisations in the budget it will give us a push. If you know Government is going to take care of food, it is a great relief and it shows that Uganda cares,” Mutagubya, said.

Bernard Lubega Bakaye, the Assistant Commissioner Culture MGLSD. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

Can Uganda join Kenya, India, and Venezuela?

Sustainable Development Goal Five calls for the recognition and valuation of unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies.

In 2021, a High Court judge in Kenya, Teresiah Matheka, declared that being a housewife should be considered a full-time, payable job.

Kenya joined Venezuela and India as the only countries in the world considering paying stay-at-home moms.

In 2007, the Venezuelan government began paying stay-at-home housewives, recognising their work at home as valuable economic activity.

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Below is a picture highlight as events unfolded during the commemoration of the International Day of Care and Support at Royal Suits Hotel in Bugoloobi on Tuesday, October 29, 2024. (All Photos by Mpalanyi Ssentongo)