Women continue to shoulder domestic burden

Women take on double the household load Keystone

Women in Switzerland do twice as much work around the house as men, according to a study published on Monday.

The Federal Statistics Office reported that women accounted for two-thirds of the estimated eight billion hours of unpaid work by people over the age of 15.

Based on estimates from four years ago, unpaid work in Switzerland was worth SFr250 billion ($208 million) and exceeded the amount of paid work (6.7 billion hours).

According to the study, women spend on average 31 hours a week on domestic or family duties – almost twice as much as men.

Differences between the sexes are even greater among families with children under the age of 15.

Women in these families get through 54 hours of unpaid work a week, compared with 24 hours for men.

If paid, household chores alone would cost SFr172 billion. Looking after children and adults is believed to be worth SFr49 billion and voluntary work SFr27 billion.

Domestic tasks

In terms of unpaid labour, domestic tasks came top of the league with six billion hours (75 per cent). Care of children or adults took up 1.25 billion hours (15.5 per cent), while voluntary work came in third at 741 million hours (9.2 per cent).

The Federal Statistics Office commented that this was the first time that unpaid work had been calculated as a national economic factor.

Officials said the project represented an important step in considering the issue of unpaid work as a whole.

A spokeswoman told swissinfo that comparisons with abroad were difficult because cost-saving measures in Switzerland ruled out methods used elsewhere.

In 1997 the value of unpaid work was estimated at SFr215 billion.

swissinfo with agencies

In brief

In 2000 women carried out almost two-thirds of the eight billion hours of unpaid work.

Women did 31 hours of domestic and family work per week, while men did 17.

Domestic work alone was valued at about SFr172 billion.