Climate change significantly exacerbates the unpaid care responsibilities shouldered by women. The increasing scarcity of resources, such as water, compels women to spend more time on tasks like fetching water, collecting fuel, and managing household chores. For instance, rural women in India dedicate nearly five hours daily to collecting water, whereas men spend only 1.5 hours on this task. With the ongoing changes in climate affecting water availability, this burden is projected to grow, further complicating care work.
Care infrastructure, encompassing facilities like clean water, sanitation, childcare centers, and eldercare facilities, plays a pivotal role in reducing women's unpaid work burden. When these facilities are lacking, women find themselves spending more time on household tasks, which limits their opportunities for paid work or education. Investing in robust care infrastructure can enhance women's participation in the workforce, contributing positively to economic growth.
The 2025 Union Budget earmarked a historic ₹4.49 lakh crore for the Gender Budget, yet a significant portion is funneled towards welfare schemes instead of structural investments in care infrastructure. The Economic Survey 2023-24 highlighted that allocating just 2% of GDP to the care economy could generate 11 million jobs and reduce gender inequality.
Inadequate access to water, sanitation, healthcare, and public transport disproportionately burdens women, who primarily handle household chores. Without reliable household tap connections, women spend considerable time fetching water, diminishing their availability for education or paid employment.
Globally, women dedicate an average of 17.8% of their time to unpaid care and domestic work, with the Global South facing even higher burdens. In India, women allocate over 40% of their time to unpaid labor, far exceeding the percentages observed in South Africa and China.
Shifting care work from homes to the public sector can greatly enhance gender equality. Policies aimed at expanding daycare centers, eldercare facilities, and community kitchens can liberate women's time. The newly launched ₹1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund is designed to finance up to 25% of bankable projects, potentially supporting such endeavors.
Women, as primary managers of household resources like water and energy, are crucial to climate resilience strategies. Excluding them from decision-making results in ineffective policies. Women's involvement in climate planning can optimize resource allocation, ensuring policies address genuine challenges.
Despite the substantial increase in the Gender Budget, it focuses on welfare schemes rather than structural investments in care infrastructure. The Economic Survey emphasizes the necessity for well-funded, gender-responsive policies to facilitate women's empowerment and economic participation.
Recognizing care work as a vital component of economic planning necessitates a policy shift. Implementing a “Three R framework” — Recognize, Reduce, Redistribute — can help integrate care work into mainstream economic strategies. Expanding investments in urban childcare, community services, and sustainable urban development ensures care work is adequately prioritized.
"A nation's progress is measured not only by its economic growth but by how it values and supports those who sustain society’s foundation—its caregivers."
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