Counting the invisible: Why recognising women’s unpaid work is a game-changer for Bangladesh

In a historic policy shift, Bangladesh’s interim government has announced that from the 2025–26 fiscal year onward, women's unpaid care and domestic work will be officially counted in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This long-overdue decision marks a watershed moment—not just in economic accounting, but in the nation’s recognition of gender justice. It is also a landmark victory for ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB), which has spent over a decade advocating for the acknowledgment of this invisible labour.

Across Bangladesh, millions of women rise each day to shoulder the immense burden of household and caregiving work—cooking, cleaning, caring for children and the elderly—all without pay, recognition, or relief. According to the 2021 Time Use Survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, women perform nearly 6.8 hours of unpaid care work daily, compared to just 1.2 hours by men. This glaring disparity translates into 5.6 additional hours of unrecognised labour for women every single day.

What if this labour had a price tag?

A 2014 study by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) estimated that if women’s unpaid domestic and care work were monetised, it would account for a staggering 76.8% of Bangladesh’s GDP. Yet, until now, this critical contribution went unrecorded in economic planning and public policy—rendering women’s labour effectively invisible.

Since 2013, ActionAid Bangladesh has been working to change that. With a mission to recognise, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care work, AAB has combined grassroots mobilisation, research, and high-level advocacy to shift public narratives and policy. This movement has never been just about numbers—it’s about dignity, justice, and rewriting the rules of who counts and what counts in the economy.

At the heart of this movement lies a simple but powerful tool: the Time Diary. Women across Bangladesh were encouraged to log their daily activities over 24 hours. What emerged was a clear, evidence-based picture of their daily workload—and how it constrained their ability to earn, learn, or simply rest. For many women, the Time Diary provided a language to explain why they felt exhausted, undervalued, or stuck. It became both a personal empowerment tool and a political instrument.

ActionAid used this data to spark difficult conversations within households, especially through “spouse forums.” When men were confronted with the real weight of their partners’ daily labour, many began to reflect, and in some cases, adjust their roles. These were small but meaningful steps toward breaking deeply embedded patriarchal norms.

Community engagement was key. From rural villages to urban neighbourhoods, ActionAid Bangladesh mobilised women’s groups, organised awareness campaigns, and even launched public events like the “Men’s Cooking Festival,” where men were invited to take on household chores in front of their communities. It wasn’t just symbolic; it was revolutionary. Films, radio programmes, and local storytelling brought these efforts to life, making unpaid care work visible—and shared.

The COVID-19 pandemic magnified this crisis. With schools, offices, and support systems shut down, homes became the centre of all activity. Women juggled work, childcare, and household tasks, often without help or recognition. AAB’s rapid study showed that unpaid domestic work increased by 128%, even among employed women. Yet care work remained largely absent from pandemic response strategies and public budgets.

But ActionAid didn’t stop at the community level. Women’s voices were elevated to the national stage—presented directly to policymakers, parliamentarians, and media leaders. Armed with personal stories and hard data, women articulated the cost of care, not just in hours or energy, but in lost opportunities and systemic inequality. These stories resonated. Slowly but surely, the issue of unpaid care work began shifting from a “private” concern to a public policy priority.

The media became a powerful ally. Through journalist training programmes, photo exhibitions, and storytelling competitions, AAB ensured that unpaid care work entered the national narrative. Youth debates, film screenings, and powerful imagery—such as the “Different Images of Men” campaign—challenged stereotypes and inspired cultural change.

This multi-pronged advocacy led to a crucial breakthrough: the formation of a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee and growing alignment with networks like the Gender Working Group (GWG), One Billion Rising (OBR), and the Asian Farmers’ Association (AFA). A collective voice was formed, amplifying demands for care-sensitive policies, services, and budgets.

Now, with the government’s announcement to include unpaid care work in GDP, a long-held dream has been realised. It’s a validation of years of activism and a signal that Bangladesh is ready to rewrite its economic story.

But this is just the beginning. Recognition in GDP is an important milestone, but not the final goal. Real transformation will require integrated action: gender-responsive budgeting, investment in care infrastructure like childcare and eldercare centres, expanded healthcare access, and public campaigns to shift cultural norms. Men must be engaged as allies, and women must be at the centre of designing policies that affect their lives.

ActionAid Bangladesh remains committed to this journey—not just to reduce the hours women spend on care work, but to restore value and dignity to their contributions. By counting care, we challenge what we value. And when we value care, we open the door to a more inclusive, equitable, and humane society.

In recognising unpaid care work, Bangladesh has taken a bold, progressive step forward. The future, now, must be built on that foundation—with policies, partnerships, and public will that ensure no woman’s labour goes unseen, and no woman is left behind.

- Farah Kabir is the Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh