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AN OMNIPRESENT YET IGNORED WORK

Invisible work takes various forms:

  • Care and family management : Childcare, support for dependents, care for sick individuals, household tasks (cleaning, cooking, shopping, laundry), and mental load (planning and organizing daily life).

 

  • Involvement in a family business : Contribution to a farm, business, or professional practice (e.g., law office, dental practice) without compensation or social protection.

 

  • Volunteering and unpaid internships : Essential work within community organizations, institutions, and public services, often in traditionally female-dominated fields (healthcare, education, social services).

 

  • Subsistence artisanal and agricultural production: Especially in developing countries, where women ensure the survival of their families without economic recognition.
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1 An unevenly distributed burden

Although women have heavily invested in the labor market, they continue to bear the majority of invisible work, limiting their professional opportunities and financial independence. This imbalance makes them more vulnerable to precariousness and poverty, including in retirement.

2 An underestimated economic pillar

Invisible work supports entire sectors (healthcare, education, social services) and enables governments and businesses to reduce their costs, without being accounted for in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Without it, many public services would be paralyzed, and the economy would suffer the consequences.

Despite its fundamental role, this work remains unrecognized, invisible, and inequitably distributed. It is time to make it visible, to value it, and to ensure a better distribution in order to build a fairer and more equitable society.