Buenos Aires Province Unpaid Care Work Makes Up 29.3% of GDP

For the first time the province of Buenos Aires quantified the economic value of unpaid domestic and care work, estimating its contribution at 4.7 trillion pesos – 29.3 % of the province’s Gross Regional Product (PBG). The satellite account shows this sector surpasses manufacturing (19.8 %) and commerce (15.4 %).

Women perform the bulk of this work, generating seven of every ten pesos of its total value. About 67.6 % of women’s unpaid labor time is not recorded in national accounts, and women aged 30‑64 account for 43 % of unpaid work versus 17 % by men of the same age group. Female heads of household double their daily unpaid hours when children are present, while men’s hours rise only modestly.

The study, based on ENUT, the 2022 census and the EPH, is presented as a tool for policymakers to promote gender equality, shared responsibility and to close gender gaps in labor and income.