Women in Kenya carry out the overwhelming share of unpaid domestic and care work, including cooking, cleaning and childcare, according to new national data that valued household labor at nearly KSh 2 trillion in 2021, equivalent to 23.1% of the country’s GDP.
- •The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) household satellite account shows that women performed over five times more food preparation and meal management work than men, with the activity valued at KSh 1.07 trillion for women compared to KSh 157.7 billion for men, totaling KSh 1.23 trillion.
- •Women also dominated cleaning and home maintenance, contributing KSh 192.9 billion worth of labor compared to KSh 48.1 billion by men, and were responsible for the majority of childcare tasks valued at KSh 216.2 billion versus KSh 22.7 billion for men.
- •The valuation used a replacement cost approach, estimating how much it would cost to hire professionals, such as nannies, cleaners, cooks, or caregivers to perform the same tasks.
Overall, the satellite account shows households performed 30.7 billion hours of unpaid domestic and care work nationwide in 2021, with women contributing approximately 80% of that time. Tasks associated with repairs and maintenance were mostly performed by men, whose contribution was valued at KSh 11.6 billion, compared to KSh 4 billion by women.
Unpaid household labor includes activities such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, childcare, eldercare and home management, all necessary for family and economic functioning, yet not recorded in GDP.
Gender advocates argue the data strengthens the case for expanding public childcare, improving parental leave, and developing care-friendly workplace policies — reforms that could free up women to participate more fully in paid employment.
If included in Kenya’s national accounts, unpaid domestic and care work would rank as one of the largest sectors of the economy, surpassing manufacturing and transportation.