Caring about Carework : Lifting Constraints to the Productivity of Women Farmers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Women farmers in the Western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) bear the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work. Women spend less time than men on their plots and more time on domestic work. The authors use a combination of consultations in th...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/711851533108583530/Caring-about-carework-lifting-constraints-to-the-productivity-of-women-farmers-in-the-Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo http://hdl.handle.net/10986/30118 |
| Summary: | Women farmers in the Western Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) bear the disproportionate burden of
unpaid care work. Women spend less time than men on their
plots and more time on domestic work. The authors use a
combination of consultations in the field, desk research,
and primary data collection to understand the patterns of
time allocation in rural households in Western DRC. The
gender differences in time allocation are striking where the
female plot managers do 1 hour and 52 minutes more of
domestic work per day than male plot managers. The gender
differences are higher in male-headed households, and female
plot managers spend significantly more time taking care of
children when farming or going to market than their male
counterparts. The agricultural productivity of female plot
managers is on average twenty six percent lower than that of
male plot managers. Having young children is associated with
lower productivity for women but not for men. With the
support of various stakeholders, the authors will pilot the
provision of childcare services in the targeted region. The
authors will rigorously evaluate the importance of these
services on women’s time allocation to productive
activities, as well as their productivity. |
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