Women work four years longer than men globally, says ActionAid

New research by charity ActionAid shows that due to the pressures of caring duties, women around the world work on average around four years longer than men over their lifetime.

ActionAid looked at data from UN Women and the International Labour Office for 217 developed and developing countries. The results highlight the burden of unpaid work on women around the world, whether it’s childcare or looking after elderly family members.

In the UK, women work around two years longer than their male counterparts when unpaid care duties are factored into their working lives. The researchers estimate that women around the world would earn an extra £41,000 over their lifetime if they were paid an average salary for the work they do at home.

ActionAid’s Policy Adviser on Women’s Rights Rachel Noble says the burden of extra labour on females is the result of social norms and traditional gender roles that place women in society as the “caring” and “nurturing” members of the family unit. She believes these norms are used to justify denying women paid work opportunities and education.

The charity released the report Not Ready, Still Waiting to coincide with a meeting of the UN high-level panel for women’s economic empowerment.

Read the original article at bit.ly/2d5GWPq