Open AccessThe Invisibility of Women’s Unpaid Work in Gender Policies
Author(s) -
Aylén Rodriguez Ferrari
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
policy perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2377-7753
pISSN - 1085-7087
DOI - 10.4079/pp.v28i0.4
Subject(s) - invisibility , unpaid work , work (physics) , gender pay gap , family leave , labour economics , care work , gender gap , wage , distribution (mathematics) , demographic economics , paid work , child care , gender equality , hourly wage , work hours , economics , working hours , sociology , gender studies , medicine , nursing , mechanical engineering , mathematical analysis , physics , mathematics , optics , engineering
Despite significant improvements in gender equality over the last few decades, the gender pay gap persists. The unequal distribution of unpaid care work is one factor that explains the wage difference between men and women. On average, women spend disproportionally more time on unpaid care work and domestic chores than men, and they are more likely to work part-time, reduce working hours, or turn down promotions due to family responsibilities. This behavior creates a work-experience gap between men and women. Considering that years of work experience may determine wages, this article analyzes the work-experience gap as an underlying cause of the gender pay gap and advocates for family-friendly policies that promote affordable access to child care, paid family leave, and flexible, but predictable, paid work schedules