By Own Correspondent

A recent report published by the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) has implored the government to consider implementing a curriculum on unpaid care work across schools.

The calls come on the back of an outcry exposing how the girl child suffers the double burden of responsibility from child-birth.

“The Ministry of Education must introduce Unpaid Care Work Domestic (UCDW) as a subject from as early as primary level so that children can grow up knowing the urgency of reducing, redistributing, representing and recognizing UCDW” said the report.

It also suggests the need for the government to provide compensation for women and girls injured undertaking UDCW duties in the family institution and calls for enacting mechanisms and processes for including women caregivers in consultations and decision-making related to budget planning and allocation, needs assessment, among others.

The report said both public and private institutions should make provision for care-supporting spaces and services in meetings and workplaces such as on site-breastfeeding areas and facilities.

Unpaid Care Work refers to any form of work that is carried out to care for family members, maintain a household or contribute to the community without receiving any monetary compensation. They are types of Unpaid Care Work.

Such roles include caring for children, caring for elderly, household chores and maintenance, volunteering and community services.

A study by Soraya Seedat and Marta Rondon on Women’s well-being and the burden of unpaid work shows that the burden of unpaid care work on low-income women may cause substantial fatigue and stress.

Because of the gendered nature of domestic and reproductive roles, women and girls are often expected to assume unpaid domestic work and care. Unpaid care work is a major factor in determining both whether women enter and stay in paid employment and the quality of their work.

Studies show that in the case of Zimbabwe, the main drivers of mental health challenges for women with heavy unpaid care work include social norms that reinforce gender roles, lack of access to reliable and affordable childcare.

Other support services, economic constraints that limit women’s ability to outsource domestic tasks, and the sheer physical and emotional toll of constant caregiving responsibilities, especially when they go unnoticed and are regarded as a duty.