NAIROBI- In 2019, 2,153 of the world’s richest people have more money combined than the 4.6 billion poorest. Underpaid or unpaid women and girls add three times more each year to the global economy than the technology industry.
Oxfam, a Nairobi-based charity, revealed in a report before the Davos annual World Economic Forum of political and business leaders that women work 12.5 billion hours per day around the world for no pay or recognition.
The “Time To Care” report estimated that unpaid care work by women added a minimum of $10.8 trillion yearly to the global economy. These staggering numbers are three times more than the technology industry.
The unpaid care work that women undertake must be underscored as the hidden engine of the economy- and this trend must change.
To highlight the global economy’s equality levels, Amitabh Behar, CEO of Oxfam India cites the example of a woman in India. Buchu Devi works 16 to 17 hours on an average daily trekking 3km to fetch water, cooking, preparing children for school and working in a job that pays a measly sum. This is, unfortunately, the story of several women across the world on a daily basis. This must change and an end should be put to the billionaire boom.
Contrastingly, billionaires are meeting at the Davos conclave arriving in personal planes and jets, in their super-rich lifestyles.
In order to remedy this, governments must primarily ensure that all the rich pay taxes, which are then used for amenities like clean water, schools and healthcare.
Worldwide, 30 countries are protesting. This kind of inequality must not be tolerated and living with these conditions must not be accepted.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.
