“Unemployed, Yet Too Busy to Rest”: Highlighting the Hidden Burden of Unpaid Care Work

Dulguun’s mother works tirelessly from dawn until dusk. Yet, despite the amount of work she does every day, she is often perceived as someone who is “unemployed” or simply stays at home.

The MONFEMNET National Network is pleased to share “Unemployed, Yet Too Busy to Rest,” an article by journalist Ch. Bolortuya of Unuudur newspaper, which was selected as the Virtual Newsroom’s best article of January.

As part of our collaboration with the “Report with Sensitivity” (Мэдрэмжтэй мэдээлье) coalition, MONFEMNET has been working with the Virtual Newsroom, an initiative that produces journalistic pieces on selected social issues each month. Through this collaboration, we are supporting and sharing a series of stories that bring greater visibility to the care economy and unpaid care work.

The articles produced through this initiative draw attention to the unequal distribution of unpaid care and domestic work. Women continue to carry a disproportionate share of this work, spending significantly more time than men on household responsibilities and caring for children, older people, and other family members.

Although this work is essential to the wellbeing of families, communities, and the wider economy, it often remains unrecognised and undervalued. As a result, people who perform unpaid care work may be viewed as economically inactive despite the considerable time, labour, and responsibility involved.

The stories also highlight why unpaid care work cannot be treated only as a private or household matter. Addressing inequalities in the care economy requires greater recognition in public policy, development planning, social protection, and services that support those who provide and receive care.

By bringing everyday experiences such as Dulguun’s mother’s into public discussion, journalism can help make otherwise invisible work visible and encourage broader conversations about how care is recognised, valued, and shared across society.

Dulguun’s mother works tirelessly from dawn until dusk. Yet, despite the amount of work she does every day, she is often perceived as someone who is “unemployed” or simply stays at home.

The MONFEMNET National Network is pleased to share “Unemployed, Yet Too Busy to Rest,” an article by journalist Ch. Bolortuya of Unuudur newspaper, which was selected as the Virtual Newsroom’s best article of January.

As part of our collaboration with the “Report with Sensitivity” (Мэдрэмжтэй мэдээлье) coalition, MONFEMNET has been working with the Virtual Newsroom, an initiative that produces journalistic pieces on selected social issues each month. Through this collaboration, we are supporting and sharing a series of stories that bring greater visibility to the care economy and unpaid care work.

The articles produced through this initiative draw attention to the unequal distribution of unpaid care and domestic work. Women continue to carry a disproportionate share of this work, spending significantly more time than men on household responsibilities and caring for children, older people, and other family members.

Although this work is essential to the wellbeing of families, communities, and the wider economy, it often remains unrecognised and undervalued. As a result, people who perform unpaid care work may be viewed as economically inactive despite the considerable time, labour, and responsibility involved.

The stories also highlight why unpaid care work cannot be treated only as a private or household matter. Addressing inequalities in the care economy requires greater recognition in public policy, development planning, social protection, and services that support those who provide and receive care.

By bringing everyday experiences such as Dulguun’s mother’s into public discussion, journalism can help make otherwise invisible work visible and encourage broader conversations about how care is recognised, valued, and shared across society.