Earlier this month in Islamabad, UN Women organized the National Dialogue on Transforming Care 2025, a historic meeting of policymakers, parliamentarians, entrepreneurs, civil society, academics, women workers and development partners. Together, they highlighted a problem that is all too often invisible yet the backbone of our society: ‘Care Work’.
For generations, women have carried the weight of unpaid care and domestic work. From raising children, caring for the elderly and attending to the sick, to managing households to sustain life. In Pakistan, women shoulder nearly 90 per cent of this work, often spending 12–14 hours a day on these tasks. Globally, women spend up to ten times more hours than men on unpaid care responsibilities, leaving them with less time to pursue education, jobs, or leadership roles. One of the main factors limiting women’s labour force and market participation is the unequal share of unpaid care work.
And yet, despite women’s vast contribution, these billions of hours of care remain invisible, uncounted in the national economy, undervalued in public policy, and unpaid in everyday life. So long as care remains hidden, women’s empowerment will be stalled, and Pakistan’s path to sustainable growth will remain obstructed. Stronger care systems are not a luxury but a necessity.
At UN Women Pakistan, rethinking care rests on three powerful pillars. First, care is a human right: every person, regardless of age, gender, or circumstance, has the right to both give and receive quality, dignified care. Second, care is the foundation of sustainable development: it not only creates new jobs in childcare, eldercare and disability services but also frees women’s time to enter the labor market, thereby boosting household incomes, strengthening communities, and driving productivity. Third, care is one of the smartest investments a nation can make: affordable and accessible care infrastructure is not an indulgence but a catalyst for economic participation, poverty reduction and strengthening social cohesion, and propelling national competitiveness.
The implications for Pakistan are profound. Women’s labour force participation is stagnating at just 22 per cent, one of the lowest in South Asia. The IMF warns that entrenched gender gaps in labour markets can shave off double-digit percentage points from GDP. Neglecting care has a mind-boggling economic price tag; recognising, reducing and redistributing it is key to inclusive growth.
The economic argument is compelling. The ILO estimates that increasing global investment in care could create nearly 300 million jobs by 2035. Care systems in countries like Canada, Norway, Sweden and South Korea have shown that subsidised childcare, parental leave and quality care services expand women’s economic participation while strengthening family welfare and national prosperity.
The private sector also plays a determining role. Family-friendly policies like flexible working hours and modalities, paid parental leave for women and men, childcare at work and care-related leave are not benefits but business strategies that boost productivity. Some businesses are leading the way, but many more need to join in if we are committed to unleashing women’s economic engagement on a scale.
Just as important is shifting mindsets. Care is not ‘women’s work’; it is a shared responsibility. Men and boys must do their part at home and sustained anti-stereotyping campaigns are key to fostering a culture of equality.
Robust data collection is another missing piece. As Ume Laila Azhar, chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women, has said: “Pakistan lacks institutional mechanisms to measure care work. Time-use surveys are neither standardized nor institutionalized.” Strengthening labour force data is vital. Measuring women’s contributions in both formal and informal sectors will finally make visible the invisible economy of care.
And, naturally, all of this cannot be done in isolation. Governments, civil society, business, and development partners need to work hand in hand to mobilise resources. Funding care is essential. It is an engine of inclusive growth and resilience, just as investment in climate action is.
Across the globe, we can see what’s possible. In Bangladesh, community childcare centers have allowed thousands of rural women to pursue paid employment. In Uruguay, a National Care System raised care to a respected pillar of social policy. These are just a few examples illustrating that when nations prioritize care as an economic sector, not an afterthought, women’s economic participation grows, families thrive and nations progress.
Pakistan has already taken promising steps — from commitments under the Women Empowerment Package to piloting workplace childcare programmes. As Dr Sharmila Faruqi rightly observed: “The Benazir Income Support Programme recognized women as central to household resilience. The next step is clear: align BISP with care delivery, so caregivers themselves are supported, recognized, and rewarded”. The challenge now is to scale up, institutionalise and finance these efforts. The time for promises has passed; walking the talk must mean delivering real change.
At UN Women, in collaboration with the National Commission on the Status of Women and our partners — Jazz and the Royal Norwegian Embassy, along with our sister UN agencies ILO and Unicef — we are committed to paving this path to progress. Through technical support, evidence generation, advocacy and real-world models, we are working to strengthen Pakistan’s care systems, from community-based eldercare and workplace childcare to digital platforms that connect families with trained professionals.
The National Dialogue message was clear: transforming care is not an expense. It is smart economics. It is the key to women’s economic engagement and a form of investment that will pay off in equality, prosperity, and social solidarity.
Because when we invest in care, we are investing in people. When we invest in people, we are investing in growth. And when we invest in growth, we create a Pakistan where dignity, opportunity and equality are not dreams, but lived experiences.
The writer is the country representative for UN Women Pakistan.