Redistributing Unpaid Care Work – Why Tax Matters for Women’s Rights

Globally, women perform the great majority of unpaid care work. This unjust distribution of labour has profound impacts on women’s human rights and is both a product and a driver of gender inequality. Despite the obligations of the State to ensure economic policies are non-discriminatory and prioritise human rights, today regressive tax policies and underfunded public services perpetuate women’s disproportionate responsibility for care. Because tax policies play a crucial role in determining inequalities of all kinds, progressive national tax reforms and improvements in global governance accountability are vital if we are to effect positive change and achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals, including the target on unpaid care work.