The Sanctioned Exploitation: Capitalism, Patriarchy, and theGendered Burden of Unpaid Care Work in Cambodia

Author Name: Simouy Seng

Affiliation: Gender Equality Consultant

Major/Area of Expertise: MA in Women's and Gender Studies

While outdated statistics from 2004 suggest that Cambodian women spend 188 minutes per day on unpaid care work compared to just 18 minutes for men, recent research indicates a growing recognition of care work's value and shifts in gender roles (Oxfam, 2022). However, the overall burden remains disproportionately shouldered by women, exacerbating gender inequalities and reinforcing economic disparities. Globally, unpaid care and domestic work contribute significantly to economic productivity, accounting for approximately 13% of global GDP (ILO, 2018), yet they remain largely invisible in national accounting frameworks, including Cambodia’s.

Photo credited to: Oxfam in Cambodia, Unpaid care and domestic work: the silent backbone of the Asia and Pacific

This systematic devaluation of unpaid care work is deeply shaped by two powerful systems: patriarchy and capitalism. Patriarchy constructs caregiving as a natural duty of women, which makes their unpaid work seem less important and often invisible. Capitalism, at its core, is an economic system where businesses aim to make as much profit as possible. To do that, they try to keep costs low, including the cost of labour. Businesses and the economy rely on workers who are fed, cared for, rested, and supported—so they can go to work and be productive. But the work that makes that possible—like cooking meals, cleaning clothes, caring for children, and looking after the sick—is mostly done at home by women and is not paid. Because this work is unpaid, companies save money. They don’t need to pay higher wages or offer full support for things like childcare or eldercare, because women are already doing this work for free. This helps the economy run smoothly, but at the cost of women’s time, health, and opportunities (Federici, 2012; Fraser, 2016).

Despite constitutional recognition of housework as equal in value to paid employment (Cambodia Constitution, Article 36), the lack of implementation and policy enforcement perpetuates gendered labour inequalities. Addressing the entrenched gender inequalities in unpaid care work requires a fundamental shift toward recognising, reducing, and redistributing care responsibilities. A shift toward a “care economy”, which prioritises care as essential for both economic and social well-being, offers a sustainable alternative. The Cambodian Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA) has initiated the Cambodia National Framework for Policy Action on the Care Economy, aligning with the UN ESCAP Model Framework to build a resilient care ecosystem through care infrastructure, services, social protections, and employment-related policies. Whilst this is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done. Governments and institutions must take concrete steps to implement policies that not only recognise but also reduce and redistribute care work equitably.

References:

• Cambodia Constitution. (1993). Article 36: Recognition of Domestic Work as Equal to Paid Work.

• Federici, S. (2012). Revolution at Point Zero: Housework, Reproduction, and Feminist

  Struggle. PM Press.

• Fraser, N. (2016). Contradictions of Capital and Care. New Left Review, 100.

• ILO. (2018). Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work.

• MoWA. (2023). Cambodia National Framework for Policy Action on the Care Economy.

• Oxfam. (2022). Care Policy Scorecard: Assessing Government Commitments and

  Actions on Unpaid Care Work in Cambodia.

About the author: Simouy Seng, is a passionate feminist leader and gender equity advocate currently serving as Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), where she supports the design of Cambodia’s national program on girls’ leadership.