As the world marks International Women’s Day 2026, Oxfam Kenya has called for greater recognition of care work and urged employers to place care at the centre of workplace policies to promote gender equality.
Care work includes activities such as childcare, cooking, cleaning, caring for the sick or elderly, and other household duties. Much of this work is unpaid and is mostly carried out by women.
According to global studies, women spend about four times more hours on unpaid domestic work than men. A report by the United Nations Development Programme also shows that women perform around 76 percent of unpaid care work worldwide. This imbalance often limits women’s opportunities for employment, leadership and economic growth.
Need for Care-Responsive Workplaces
To address the challenge, Oxfam Kenya is working with private sector companies to promote care-responsive workplaces. The organization says businesses should introduce policies that support employees with family responsibilities.
These policies may include flexible working hours, maternity and care leave, childcare facilities at workplaces and support for employees returning from maternity leave.
Purity Jebor, a Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Programme Officer at Oxfam Kenya, says recognizing care responsibilities can improve productivity and reduce absenteeism at workplaces.
She explains that when companies support workers with family responsibilities, employees are more focused, productive and motivated.
Businesses Supporting Women
Some companies in Kenya are already adopting care-friendly policies.
One example is Cherubet Foods Limited, a food enterprise that promotes a care-centered business model aimed at supporting women workers. The company seeks to reduce the burden of unpaid care work while creating economic opportunities for women across its supply chain.
Another company working with Oxfam is Nyota Limited, an agro-processing firm that partners with women farmers and offers flexible work schedules for its employees. Such initiatives help women balance work responsibilities with family duties.
Workers at these companies say supportive workplace policies make it easier to manage both professional and family responsibilities.
Policy Changes Needed
Experts say more reforms are still required to ensure workplaces fully support women. These include stronger human resource policies that recognize maternity leave, childcare support, and flexible work arrangements.
There is also a growing push for organizations to create safe spaces for mothers, including facilities where they can breastfeed or store milk during working hours.
Care Work and the Economy
Recent findings from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics show that paid and unpaid care work contributes about 24.1 percent of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product. This highlights the significant role care work plays in supporting the country’s economy.
The Kenyan government is currently working on a national care policy aimed at recognizing and strengthening the care sector.
Promoting Gender Equality
Oxfam Kenya says it will continue partnering with businesses and other institutions to promote policies that support women workers and recognize the economic value of care work.
The organization believes that when care responsibilities are shared and supported, women can participate more fully in the economy and contribute to national development.
As the International Women’s Day theme highlights, giving greater attention to care work is not only a social issue but also a key step toward achieving gender equality and sustainable economic growth.
