Oxfam Kenya partners with Media for Effective Reporting on Unpaid Care and Domestic Work.

Nairobi, Kenya- Oxfam in Kenya hosted a media breakfast on 13th February 2020 to sensitize the media on unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW).
UCDW is a social good and a driver of economic growth. It is estimated that it contributes USD 10 trillion to the global economy every year but it remains largely invisible, unrecognized and absent from public policies. Oxfam in Kenya recently commissioned a Household Care Survey (2019) in 5 informal settlements namely Kibera, Mathare, Mukuru, Kawangware and Korogocho in Nairobi City. The objective was to establish the distribution of UCDW, mediating factors and men and women’s perceptions towards the same while suggesting recommendations to tackle associated challenges.
The report revealed that a heavy and unequal responsibility of UCDW is borne by women and girls. For example, women reported spending 11.1 hours per day on any care compared to men’s 2.9 hours per day. Further, over half (55%) of women had suffered from health risks including injury, illness or disability due to performing heavy tasks. Women who owned fuel and washing-related equipment spent about 2-3 hours less on any care and women with access to improved water sources and healthcare facilities spent from 4 to 5 hours less per day on any care compared with women without these services. Moreover, women who lived further away from the nearest market spent more time on any care. This unequal distribution of UCDW is a key driver to inequality which limits women’s opportunities for economic empowerment and political participation. Oxfam Kenya’s recommendations to curb above mentioned challenges are in line with Kenya’s Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goal 5 target 4 and was discussed during the media breakfast at Hilton Hotel, Nairobi.
Oxfam believes in the power of media to positively influence society. It is in this regard that, OXFAM will continue working with journalists from various media houses to confront issues that worsen poverty and continue widening the economic, social and gender inequality gaps.