ESTIMATING THE SOCIOECONOMIC VALUE OF UNPAID CARE WORK AMONG SRI LANKAN WOMEN: EVIDENCE FROM TIME USE DATA

Abstract

Unpaid care work plays a significant role in sustaining economic and social systems, yet it remains largely invisible in developing countries where gender norms strongly shape labour responsibilities. In Sri Lanka, women disproportionately bear the burden of unpaid domestic and caregiving activities, including childcare, eldercare, cooking, and household maintenance. Despite its critical role in sustaining households and supporting the formal economy, unpaid care work is rarely recognised in conventional economic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This study estimates the socioeconomic value of unpaid care work performed by Sri Lankan women using nationally representative time-use data. The analysis employs two valuation approaches: the replacement cost method and the opportunity cost method. The findings reveal stark gender disparities in the allocation of unpaid care responsibilities, with women dedicating significantly more time to domestic and caregiving tasks than men. The estimated monetary value of women’s unpaid care work represents a considerable contribution to the national economy, ranging from 21.4% to 25.9% of GDP. The results further suggest that this unequal distribution constrains women’s labour market participation and limits their economic advancement. However, the analysis is constrained by data availability, as the 2017 Time Use Survey remains the most recent nationally representative time-use dataset in Sri Lanka. The study contributes to debates in feminist economics and gender and development studies and underscores the importance of policy interventions aimed at recognizing, reducing, and redistributing unpaid care work.