Revaluation of women's work

The Revaluation of Women's Work challenges narrow concepts of work, value and women's worth in industrial and non-industrial coun tries, socialist and free enterprise alike. The undervaluing of women's work has developed with the international market economy, distorting estimates of the national product of countries which depend heavily on women's unpaid work. Technological changes are already altering established female/male divi sions of labour. Transnational enterprises, often located in Special Economic Zones, are reducing differences between industrial and non-industrial countries.

As case studies from a variety of countries for this and other works show, pointers to the cash value of unpaid work already exist, not only in high technology, but in all kinds of economies. While 'wages for housework' merely undermines women's equal rights to paid work, publicising the cash values of unpaid work they do, by including them in the Gross Domestic Product and similar economic indicators, raises women's status. Past and present experience shows that recognition of the value of women's work is essential if they are to benefit from new pro duction methods; men who do similar work also benefit. It will assist and encourage women to play their rightful part in making policies at local, national and international levels.