Bangladesh has for the first time put a value on unpaid household and care work, in a move seen as a step towards recognising women's invisible contribution to the economy.
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UN Women Bangladesh have launched a new Household Production Satellite Account (HPSA), developed with support from the Asian Development Bank under the global Women Count programme.
The HPSA estimates that activities such as cooking, cleaning, childcare and caring for the elderly or disabled contributed Tk 6.7 trillion ($56bn) in 2021 - equivalent to 18.9 percent of the country's GDP.
Women carried out 85 percent of that work.
The initiative follows the interim government's pledge in the 2025-26 budget to reflect unpaid labour in official economic data. The estimates draw on the 2021 Time Use Survey and the 2022 Labour Force Survey.
The report recommends changes to laws and budgets to recognise unpaid care, the creation of care-related jobs in the private sector, and the introduction of family-friendly workplace policies.
It also urges efforts to engage men and boys in caregiving to reduce the disproportionate burden on women.
Women and Children Affairs Advisor Sharmeen Murshid said the findings would help shape gender-responsive policymaking and shift public attitudes towards recognising the care economy.
UN Women's Country Representative Gitanjali Singh described unpaid care as "an investment, not a cost".
ADB's Principal Statistician Mahinthan Joseph Mariasingham said the estimates provide evidence to address wage gaps and can act as a guide for investment in care services. �"bdnews24.com
