Gender equality, paid and unpaid care and domestic work: Disadvantages of state-supported marketization of care and domestic work

Abstract

Gender inequality, caused by the unequal distribution of unpaid care and domestic work between genders, has been a major feminist issue for a long time. This article demonstrates that so-called gender equality policies, which aim to reduce the burden of women’s unpaid care and domestic work through the state-supported marketization of these services, create a vulnerable group of under-paid care and domestic workers. Such policies widen income gap between women who can purchase these services and those who cannot. I will propose feminist initiatives for gender equality that address these problems