[Answered] “Caring labor, particularly unpaid work, is a crucial yet often overlooked component of India’s economy. Analyze the significance of centering care in India’s economic policy and suggest measures to integrate it into mainstream economic planning.”

Caring labor, particularly unpaid work, is an essential yet overlooked component of India’s economy. Despite a record allocation of ₹4,49,028.68 crore to the Gender Budget (GB) in 2025, investments in care infrastructure remain inadequate. The invisibilisation of unpaid care work disproportionately affects women, limiting their economic participation. Recognizing and integrating care work into mainstream economic planning is crucial for achieving gender-inclusive growth.

Significance of Centering Care in Economic Policy

• Economic Contribution: If monetized, unpaid care work would significantly add to GDP, yet remains unaccounted for in economic planning. The Economic Survey 2023-24 highlights that direct public investment equivalent to 2% of GDP could generate 11 million jobs while easing the care burden.
• Gender Equity and Labor Force Participation: Over 53% of Indian women remain outside the workforce due to care responsibilities, compared to just 1.1% of men. This entrenched inequity hinders economic progress.
• Addressing Time Poverty: Women in low-income families often juggle 17–19 hours of daily tasks, reducing their ability to engage in paid work and eroding their well-being. Climate change further exacerbates this burden, with water-related unpaid labor projected to cost India $1.4 billion by 2050.
• Improved Social Welfare and Productivity: Investments in care infrastructure—such as childcare centers, eldercare support, and assistive technologies—would ease women’s care burden and enhance overall workforce productivity.

Measures to Integrate Care into Economic Planning

• Recognizing Unpaid Care Work: Strengthening Time-Use Surveys by integrating them into existing household surveys would help quantify and recognize unpaid labor.
• Reducing the Care Burden: Expanding access to essential infrastructure like potable water (Jal Jeevan Mission), affordable childcare, eldercare, and labor-saving technologies is crucial. Delays in JJM implementation highlight the need for stronger execution strategies.
• Redistributing Care Responsibilities: Encouraging shared domestic responsibilities through policies like paternity leave, flexible work hours, and integrating care into urban planning—such as Bogotá’s Care Blocks model—can create systemic change.
• Investment in Care Infrastructure: The newly announced ₹1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund can be leveraged to scale up pilot care infrastructure models under the Smart Cities Mission. Public-private partnerships should be encouraged to expand sustainable urban development.
• Ensuring Women’s Representation in Policymaking: Women’s involvement in decision-making processes enhances policy effectiveness significantly, ensuring that care work is addressed as a priority rather than an afterthought.

Conclusion

A well-funded, deliberate strategy is essential to ensure that care work is recognized and integrated into economic planning. By doing so, India can set a global example for a gender and care-sensitive economy, fostering inclusive and sustainable growth.