Unpaid household and care work contributed BDT 6.7 trillion in 2021—equivalent to 18.9% of Bangladesh’s GDP—according to the country’s first official Household Production Satellite Account (HPSA). Women accounted for 85% of this contribution.
The HPSA was launched on Tuesday in Dhaka by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UN Women Bangladesh, with support from the global Women Count program and technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The findings draw on the Time Use Survey 2021 and the Labor Force Survey 2022, and measure the economic value of unpaid household and care work, including cooking, cleaning, laundry, household management, and caring for children, older persons, persons with disabilities, and those with health conditions.
The launch follows a landmark policy commitment in the national budget (2025–26), where the Interim Government pledged to include women’s unpaid labor in GDP calculations.
At the event, UN Women Bangladesh Program Analyst Nubayra Jeheen demonstrated a “care calculator,” a tool measuring daily time spent on unpaid work. BBS Deputy Director Asma Akhter highlighted that women’s contribution to childcare alone stood at BDT 2.2 trillion, compared to men’s BDT 343 billion.
Adviser to the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs Sharmeen S Murshid said, “Care economy demands a different value system. Evidence and data are critical tools for shifting mindsets, and this takes time. We are already seeing a positive change in economic policy discussions. This research will inform gender-responsive policymaking, planning, and budgeting going forward.”
The report calls for recognizing, reducing, and redistributing unpaid care work through:
- Establishing an inter-ministerial mechanism to integrate unpaid work into laws and policies.
- Prioritizing care in the national budget and development strategies.
- Engaging the private sector to promote decent care jobs and family-friendly workplace policies.
- Ensuring sustained financing and regular data collection on unpaid work.
- Challenging social norms by engaging men and boys to share care responsibilities.
UN Women Representative in Bangladesh Gitanjali Singh said, “The persistent undervaluation of care work reflects deep-rooted gender inequalities and entrenched social norms, leaving women’s contributions largely uncounted. Care is not a cost; it’s an investment. We must reaffirm our commitment to a future where women’s work—paid or unpaid—is fully recognized and valued for a more just and prosperous Bangladesh.”
Aleya Akter, Secretary of the Statistics and Informatics Division, BBS, said the Time Use Survey and HPSA demonstrate the government’s commitment to women’s empowerment. “Women’s role in unpaid care work must be acknowledged and inform policies and laws,” she added.
In a video message, ADB Principal Statistician Mahinthan Joseph Mariasingham noted, “These findings highlight the scale of women’s economic contributions that remain undervalued in official statistics. The estimates can serve as a basis to analyse wage gaps, assess investment needs in care services, and integrate unpaid household production into policy discussions on gender equality.”
The launch event at the BBS office was attended by senior government officials, development partners, and civil society representatives. MoWCA Senior Secretary Mamtaz Ahmed NDC was the special guest, while BBS Director General Mohammed Mizanur Rahman chaired the program.