Expert: Women in Armenia do 4-5 times more unpaid work than men

ArmInfo.  In their prime working years (30-35), women perform 4-5 times more unpaid work than  men. This was reported by Tigran Jrbashyan, Partner. Head of  Management Advisory Service at America Advisory, while presenting the  results of the "National Transfer Accounts of Armenia" study,  conducted with the support of UNFPA (UK contribution).

According to Jrbashyan, women in this age bracket spend 47–49 hours  per week on unpaid labor— including housework, childcare, and caring  for elderly family members—compared to only 8–11 hours for men. On  average, women dedicate 15.3 hours per week to household chores and  another 6.8 hours to caring for children or elderly relatives.  Figures for men are significantly lower: 3.6 hours per week on  housework and 2.2 hours on caregiving.

Figures for men are significantly lower: 3.6 hours per week on  housework and 2.2 hours on caregiving.  "Children are the primary  source of unpaid work, and as a rule, the main burden of caring for  them falls on women," the expert emphasized.  According to the  study's estimates, when unpaid labor is expressed in monetary terms,  women account for about 78% of its total value, compared to only 11%  for men. "We are dealing with a massive sector of the economy. When  we try to estimate its scale, we realize that no industry, service  sector, or agriculture compares to it," Jrbashyan noted, adding that  the share of unpaid labor in the economy can range from 16% to 30%.  He pointed out that a significant volume of created value-added  essentially remains invisible.  In our view, the time has come to  understand that the largest contribution to value creation is made  precisely by unpaid work, which is mostly performed by women," he  said. At the same time, Jrbashyan noted that women in Armenian  society are more productive because they are better educated,  particularly in professional fields.

He noted that the higher a country's level of development, the  smaller the gap between men and women in the distribution of unpaid  labor. He cited Scandinavian countries as an example, where, despite  a more balanced division of responsibilities, women still perform the  majority of such work. "Given Armenia's aging population, we are  essentially indulging in the luxury of having such a situation," the  expert warned.

Lusine Sargsyan, Head of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Office in  Armenia, noted that the country's youth population has decreased by  25% over the past decade.  According to Sargsyan, the current  situation requires systemic rather than piecemeal solutions involving  all stakeholders. First and foremost, she noted, this concerns  employers, who must recognize their role in demographic processes.

"Employers must understand the importance of their role not only as  consumers, but also as businesses, which may face labor shortages in  the future due to the worsening demographic situation. At the same  time, it is necessary to help employers become more family-oriented  without harming their business. A balanced approach is needed on both  sides. International experience shows that companies that take into  account the family needs of their employees ultimately generate  higher profits, as employees stay with such organizations longer, and  employers do not have to constantly search for new personnel and  incur additional training costs," Sargsyan emphasized.