Written by The Banking Post
Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) has welcomed the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics’ (BBS) groundbreaking Household Production Satellite Accounts (HPSA), which officially values unpaid household and care work at Tk 6.7 trillion — equivalent to 18.9 per cent of the country’s GDP.
The findings mark the first time Bangladesh has quantified the economic value of unpaid household labour, most of which is carried out by women. According to the report, domestic work alone is worth Tk 4 trillion, with women contributing Tk 3.4 trillion.
“This is a historic moment when women’s unrecognized and undervalued household work will finally get the national attention it deserves,” said Shaheen Anam, Executive Director of MJF. “We believe this will help change society’s attitude towards women and girls and bring long overdue recognition for women engaged in household work.”
MJF commended the government’s commitment to the issue and acknowledged the support of UN Women and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in producing the report.
The foundation said the findings validate its long-running “Equality through Dignity” campaign, launched in 2013, which has pushed for the recognition of women’s unpaid contributions to improve their status in families and society and reduce discrimination.
Looking ahead, MJF urged the government to act on the report’s recommendations, including setting up an inter-ministerial body to integrate unpaid work into national laws and policies, ensuring adequate budget allocations, and committing to regular data collection.
“MJF hopes these crucial next steps will be implemented swiftly so this data translates into meaningful change,” the statement added.
