Apia, Samoa – Focusing attention on the value of women’s unpaid care work in Samoa is the subject of a new report titled, Samoa Pilot Time Use Study Report, launched last week.

Former Vice Chancellor and President of the National University of Samoa (NUS), Lau Dr. Asofou So’o, authored the report, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The findings of the report formed the basis for a policy dialogue on women’s unpaid care work in Samoa, held last week at the university, co-hosted by UNDP and NUS.

To help build understanding of what unpaid care work means in Samoa and generate evidence, UNDP in partnership with key Government of Samoa entities, commissioned a Time Use Study in 2022. UNDP aimed for the study to provide useful insights to sensitize local communities and national policy makers to the multidimensional impacts of the gendered responsibility of unpaid household and care work to inform their decision-making.

“We want to use the findings from the Study as an entry point to exchange ideas and generate recommendations on how Samoa can leverage the opportunities around care work from a gender perspective, expanding women’s choices and increasing their labour force participation rate, while recognizing the value of care based on the centrality of the concept of tautua in Samoan culture,” said Vineet Bhatia, Resident Representative a.i., UNDP.    

Globally, women provide most of the unpaid care work in terms of number of hours spent, and they also represent most unpaid carers around the world, performing over 75% of the total amount of unpaid care work. In Samoa, the picture is very similar. Women’s disproportionate engagement in unpaid care work is in addition to their engagement in paid work, thus creating what is called a “double burden” for them. How society and policy makers address issues concerning care has important implications for the achievement of gender equality in countries.

“It seems very appropriate that this Dialogue happens on the International Day of the Girl, October 11, which aims for better futures and cultural capital for the world’s 600 million adolescent girls.  From early on in their lives, the gendered nature and unequal burden of care and domestic work limit girls' access to and opportunities for quality education, economic security and decent work. Although care work has traditionally been valued for its role in social reproduction, it remains largely unrecognized as an important macroeconomic variable that can contribute to sustainable economic growth and enhance the well-being of our societies,” said Silafau Dr. Sina Vaai, Professor of English, Faculty of Arts at NUS.

The discussion and conclusions of the dialogue will be documented in a knowledge product aimed at creating awareness and informing policymaking and advocacy for action by the key stakeholders including Government as the primary duty bearer for the provision of quality, affordable, and accessible care services, and infrastructure. This will also benefit civil society organizations in their engagement with other stakeholders and communities to promote improved investment, programming, data collection and social norms change with respect to care, as well as workers unions in their advocacy for decent employment for care workers and quality public and private care services through social dialogue and collective bargaining.

The findings will also be useful for private sector entities as employers who can offer paid leave and flexible work arrangements to better support workers with care responsibilities and promote care-responsive policies among their peers; and bi- and multilateral development partners as investors, conveners, and advocates to address global inequalities in care and promote quality care systems and care data.

-ENDS-

For media queries, please contact: 
Laufaleaina Lesa, UNDP Multi-Country Office, Samoa|Tel. +685 23670 | E: laufaleaina.lesa@undp.org 
www.ws.undp.org | @UNDP in Samoa, Cook Islands, Tokelau & Niue | @undpsamoa