WOMEN in the Midlands province have lamented non-payment for care work.
Speaking in Gweru last Friday at a Portfolio Committee on Women Affairs consultative meeting to gather views on recognition of unpaid care and domestic work in the country, Zvishavane ward 6 Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCOZ) member Isabel Sibanda said women, particularly those living in rural areas, travel long distances in search of water and firewood.
“We no longer have forests for firewood and we have to travel long distances in search of firewood,” Sibanda said.
“There is need for the government to speed up the rural electrification programme so that women can have time for other work.”
Another WCOZ activist, Florence Guzha, said government should put in place mechanisms to support women who engage in unpaid care work.
“There is need for support centres so that women engaging in unpaid care and domestic work can benefit,” she said.
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Yeukai Munetsi called for policies that ensure early childhood development (ECD) is affordable so that women in care work have more time to develop themselves.
“ECD is expensive and women involved in care and domestic work end up having the extra burden of looking after infants in addition to other household chores,” she said.
Other WCOZ members advocated for paternity leave so that men can help their spouses with the household and family chores.