Should Women Get a Monthly Salary? BJP MP Raises Demand in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: The unpaid work done by millions of women inside their households was brought into spotlight in Parliament when Dr Radha Mohan, a prominent BJP leader, highlighted the issue of housewives’ labour in the Rajya Sabha. Speaking in the House, he highlighted the laborious hours women put in managing households, work that frequently goes unnoticed and unacknowledged while being essential to maintaining families and enhancing the economy as a whole.   

The Everyday Work of a Homemaker

Describing the routine of many women, Dr. Radha Mohan said:

‘A woman wakes up early in the morning and goes to sleep the latest at night. At home, she cooks different meals for everyone and eats last; sometimes she eats only half a meal. She wakes up in the morning, sweeps the house, wakes the children, bathes them, gets them ready, feeds them breakfast and sends them to school. She serves tea to her husband and parents-in-law, cooks food for the family and serves it, gets the children to clean their plates, and many times even helps her husband get ready and sends him to the office. She washes clothes and serves the family, takes care of all the members of the family, takes them to the doctor and gets medicines when someone falls sick, buys necessary household items, and teaches the children to read and write. A woman silently considers all this as her duty.’

‘According to data from the State Bank of India and the Time Use Survey conducted twice by the Government of India, a woman spends around 432 minutes doing unpaid work at home every day’ he added. 

Dr. Radha Mohan also emphasised that despite serving several hours on household responsibilities, women receive no payment for this work, and in numerous instances they do not even expect payment.

Economic Value of Unpaid Work

He also highlighted that if the work done by homemakers were paid, it could make a major contribution to the country’s economy. He estimates that the value of such labor may account for between 7.5% and 24% of GDP. He pointed out that families frequently spend between ₹20,000 and ₹25,000 a month on the same set of services when they hire staff like cooks, cleaners, tutors, washermen, caregivers, and dishwashers.

He said ‘If these women were paid for their work, it would contribute at least 7.5% to 24% of the GDP. In households where cleaners, cooks, tutors, washermen, caretakers, and dishwashers are hired for these tasks, a family has to spend about 20,000 to 25,000 rupees per month. Despite this, women also work outside the home. In spite of this, a lot of women work outside the home, which increases their responsibilities’

Adding to it, Dr. Radha Mohan also referred to a decision issued in 1993 in the National Accounts Statistics, which suggested that the productive work done by women at home should be integrated into the system, and that the services they provide could be added in satellite accounts so governments may incorporate them while calculating GDP.

Two Demands in Parliament

Raising the issue formally, the BJP MP placed two demands before the government.

First, he stated that opportunity cost and replacement cost should be used to determine the value of the work performed by women at home. This work should then be included in Private Final Consumption Expenditure and included in the Gross Domestic Product. He also discussed financial assistance for women.

He said many governments conducting cash transfer schemes, but described them as charity. He believes that women deserve empowerment and rights, not charity. He mentioned a proposal to give women a Minimum Basic Income, citing the Government of India's 2016–17 Economic Survey.

Dr. Radha Mohan demanded that the Government of India should create a provision to give Minimum Basic Income to the women of this country. 

Homemakers and the Economy

Another perspective highlighted how the work of homemakers also affects the overall economy. The food and household goods that are purchased for their families are frequently chosen by homemakers. Large markets like dairy goods and fruits and vegetables, which combined are valued at trillions of rupees in India, are immediately impacted by their decisions.\

Homemakers are one of the biggest consumer groups in the nation because these products are utilized in practically every household. Additionally, a lot of homemakers oversee family savings and budgeting. The largest source of gross domestic savings, which in turn promotes investment and economic expansion, is household savings.

As a result, the choices made by homemakers in Indian households are intimately related to the two main economic forces, saving and spending.

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