The average American woman spends about an hour and a half more on unpaid work than the average man each day. That means she’s doing more child care, housework, shopping, and volunteering.
And that’s OK.
Friday was International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme is gender balance. But not every aspect of men’s and women’s lives needs to be the same in order for women to be empowered.
Women who choose to do so should be proud of spending time not just making money, but also taking care of family members, keeping the fridge stocked with avocados, and volunteering in their communities.
Of course, men should embrace unpaid work too.
Because millions fewer Americans are volunteering than a decade ago. This aspect of civil society needs as many hands as possible. The fact that women spend more time than men doing this non-paying work doesn’t make it a new hurdle to equality. It simply means more women have their priorities straight.
