Manuscript Information Authors

[1]	Essien Akpanuko, Department of Accounting, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
[2]	Dorothy Thompson, Department of Human Ecology, Nutrition & Dietetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.

Abstract

While society recognizes their role in the conventional economy, Housewives stand hidden and unacknowledged in what is termed by Elson (1995) as the ‘Economy of Care’. However, more research has been conducted on the issue of the unpaid work performed by housewives; but only few studies have yet been conducted to attempt to arrive at a reasonable estimate and recognition of the approximate monetary value (Income) of the work done by this group of women without monetary payment. Such a monetary valuation could help address the problem of undervaluing women and their contributions to GDP and on the actual role of housewives in the society; thus the importance of rectifying the discrimination which housewives face from in marriage until death. This research is intended to address this major research gap and to respond to the consequences of treating millions of hard-working housewives as economically unproductive (useless) and no more valuable than beggars and prisoners. The specific objectives are: to identify the work done by housewives, to estimate the monetary value of their work and to provide a model for valuation of their contribution to national development. The research adopted a cross-sectional survey design using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. An interview schedule was used. The sample consisted of 25 urban men (married) and 25 rural men (married); and 75 urban women (67 married, 6 widowed, and 2 divorcees) and 75 rural women (all married), for a total of 50 men and 200 women. This study found that a typical housewife’s day starts at about 5 a.m. and ends after 10 p.m. While a quarter of the husbands helped their spouses in domestic tasks; that assistance seems to be very limited in its nature and extent, with most men and women feeling that household work is the responsibility of women. Of the 22 task performed, only 9 were the exclusive responsibility of housewives. These were assigned monetary value which amounted to $176.7per month or $2,153 per annum. The estimated income for housewives can then computed using the available census data and based on the conservative estimates of payments made for those tasks.

Keywords

Housewife, Work, Unrecognised Income, Hope / Happiness

Reference

[01]	Diener, E., and Diener, M. (2009). Cross-cultural correlates of life satisfaction and self- esteem. Culture and Well-Being, 28, 71-91.
[02]	EFAS (2009). Economic Contributions of Women: The Case of India. Nagpur India.
[03]	Women, Family and Poverty (1988). SPIU Briefing Sheet 3. “Women and the economy”: unpac. ca/economy/valuingunpaidwork. html.
[04]	Waring, M. (2003). Counting for Something! Recognising women’s contribution to the global economy through alternative accounting systems. Gender and Development V11, No.1.
[05]	World Bank Human Development Report (2001). Engendering development through gender: World March of Women, Women & The Economy - UN Platform for Action Committee Manitoba (UNPAC).
[06]	Efroymson, D. Biswas, D. and Ruma, S. (2007). The Economic Contribution of Bangladeshi Women through their Unpaid Labour. Health Bridge and WBB Trust, October.
[07]	Ekins, P, Ed (1986). The Living Economy, A New Economics in the Making. New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
[08]	Elson, D. (1995). Gender awareness in modelling structural adjustment. World Development Report Vol. 23, N11, pp. 1851–1868.
[09]	Waring, M (1998). If Women Counted: A New Feminist Economics. San Francisco: Harper Publishing.
[10]	World Bank Human Development Report 1995.
[11]	Cuvillier, R. (1979). The Housewife-An Unjustifiable Burden on the Community. Journal of Social Policy. Vol. 8; 1-26.