The gendered distribution and perceptions of unpaid Care Work in China

Unpaid care work is the backbone of thriving families, communities, and economies. It makes a large yet uncounted contribution to the economy, valued at between 10 and 39 percent of gross domestic product.

Women shoulder much of the burden of unpaid care work, often with little recognition or support.

This research is a product of the A Place Called Home – WeCare project, which is a joint project of UN Women China and IKEA China. The project is to address two interlinked issues that hinder women’s economic empowerment: unpaid care and domestic work, and violence against women. The project raises public awareness and mobilizes private sector companies to introduce policies and measures targeting the two issues, playing their part in transmitting attitudes and social norms in the course of people’s day-to-day lives.

This research is developed by Jiayuan Wang and Qing Wang from UN Women China, with direct technical guidance from Smriti Aryal, Country Representative of UN Women China.

UN Women is grateful to the IKEA China for making this report possible through their support to the WeCare Project.