A time to reimagine contours of labour

In 2025, the world finds itself suspended between progress and paradox. Across continents, women have stepped into roles once denied to them, leading nations, heading global corporations, and excelling in academia, science, and the arts. Laws have been enacted, conferences convened, and slogans chanted, all in pursuit of gender equality.

- NARAYANAN KIZHUMUNDAYUR

And yet, beneath the veneer of progress lies a persistent and deeply embedded disparity: the gender pay gap. Though narrower than in decades past, it continues to haunt labour markets across the globe.

But perhaps more insidiously, hidden beneath this quantifiable disparity is the vast, intangible realm of invisible labour - unpaid domestic work and caregiving - that remains overwhelmingly borne by women and continues to underpin the very structure of society and economy without ever being named in balance sheets or budgets. Invisible labour refers to the countless hours spent cooking meals, cleaning homes, caring for children and the elderly, planning family schedules, managing emotional wellbeing, and ensuring the smooth functioning of households.

These acts of labour, though physically and emotionally demanding, are rarely acknowledged as 'work' in the economic sense. They do not produce immediate profit, they do not generate tax revenue, and they are absent from GDP calculations. Yet, their value is incalculable. Imagine a society where if all this labour ceased for a single day, the chaos that would follow is enough to reveal the fragility of our dependence on this unseen scaffolding. In truth, invisible labour forms the bedrock upon which all visible work is built. Office workers are able to go to their jobs because someone ensured their children are dressed and fed. Professionals thrive in careers because someone tends to aging parents. This is labour that enables labour - and still, it remains unmeasured, unpaid, and unvalued. The economic implications of ignoring unpaid labour are vast and far-reaching.