Gender Inequality in Unpaid Domestic Work: A Comparative Analysis of Türkiye and OECD Countries

Abstract

In 2024, the international community continues to face significant challenges in achieving gender equality despite the United Nations' "2030 Agenda," which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals to address various global issues. A significant barrier to achieving development goals is widespread gender inequality. This inequality includes unpaid domestic work, such as cleaning, cooking, and childcare. The unequal distribution of household responsibilities perpetuates disparities in everyday life. Additionally, this imbalance in unpaid labor has severe financial and psychological impacts on women, affecting their overall well-being and economic empowerment. This article explores the stress of unpaid domestic work on working women, particularly concerning the challenges of achieving work-life balance while managing household responsibilities. The “third shift” concept is described in terms of these women's various roles. The first shift refers to their professional work, and the second shift includes domestic tasks like cleaning and childcare and may also incorporate elder care responsibilities. The third shift is characterized by the stress arising from the dual expectations of fulfilling professional duties and household chores. While the stress from unpaid domestic work is a global issue, its severity varies across different cultural contexts. Türkiye's cultural setting, for instance, differentiates it from traditional Middle Eastern countries and European welfare regimes in terms of the dynamics of unpaid domestic work.  This article focuses on Türkiye's position in the unpaid domestic work domain and researches the contemporary gender inequality problems from working women's perspective.