Women in Rwanda continue to spend more time than men on unpaid care and household work, limiting their time for paid work, education, and career growth. The gap is seen across both urban and rural areas and is influenced by access to basic services such as water, electricity, and clean cooking energy, and how household responsibilities are shared. ALSO READ: Addressing unpaid care work is Rwanda’s unfinished business The 2025 Labour Force Survey report by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda shows that women spend an average of 23.7 hours per week on unpaid domestic and care work, compared with 12.7 hours for men. ALSO READ: Divorce: How courts assess unpaid care work compensation A 2022 baseline survey by UN Women Rwanda across eight districts found that women spend 7.1 hours a day on unpaid care work, while men spend 2.1 hours. In urban areas, women spend 6.9 hours a day, compared with 2.1 hours for men. Speaking at a policy dialogue on the care economy on April 29 in Kigali, Consolee Uwimana, the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, acknowledged this gap and said government development priorities include inclusive growth, social protection and human capacity development. The event co-organised by UN Women Rwanda in partnership with the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion reviewed progress on care-related policies and participants discussed what more is needed to reduce the burden of unpaid care work on women. “Care work is the invisible foundation upon which our families, communities and the economy stand, it remains unequally distributed, with women and girls carrying the heaviest burden, at the cost of their education, economic participation and wellbeing,” Uwimana said. She noted that the imbalance affects productivity, economic growth and human development, calling for a gender-transformative approach that challenges social norms and promotes shared responsibility, in line with Rwanda’s strategy on engaging men and boys. She added that unpaid care work has been recognised in national policies, including integration into development frameworks and investment in childcare services under the National Gender Policy 2021. Under the Second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), the care economy is increasingly recognised as central to economic transformation. The minister called for clearer recommendations, stronger coordination, and accountability in implementing care-related policies. Acting UN Women Country Representative in Rwanda, Tikikel Tadele Alemu, said investment in the care economy is still important for gender equality and development. She explained that unpaid care work limits women’s access to education, jobs, and leadership opportunities. “Care is not a private or household matter; it is a foundational pillar of our societies and economies. This imbalance is not only a gender equality issue; it is also an economic issue. We must position care not as a cost, but as a driver of inclusive and sustainable development,” Alemu stated. Nadine Umutoni Gatsinzi, the Chief Gender Monitor at the Gender Monitoring Office (GMO), said the gap in unpaid care work continues to affect women’s economic participation and career progression. “Unpaid care work remains a persistent gap and continues to place a heavy burden on women's career progression and overall well-being, while also affecting families.” She said GMO monitors policy implementation and gender mainstreaming across institutions, working with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to assess budgeting and planning processes. Through partnerships, including with the United Nations Development Programme, she said the Gender Equality Seal programme has supported institutions to integrate gender equality into workplace systems and budgeting. She noted that local government entities have been more active than central institutions in identifying gaps and allocating resources to address unpaid care work. “The 2024 law governing persons and family has introduced recognition of unpaid care work, particularly in divorce proceedings. Courts are now required to value unpaid care work between 10 and 39 per cent when distributing assets. However, questions remain on how judges are applying this provision in practice, and this is shaping an emerging legal precedent that requires closer examination,” Gatsinzi said. She added that gender equality initiatives are also promoting workplace childcare facilities, breastfeeding rooms and expanded paternity leave. Stuart Kyazze, a planning analyst at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, said Rwanda has mainstreamed unpaid care work into national planning by integrating care systems into key sectors including education, health, social protection, water access, clean cooking and transport, with the aim of reducing the burden of care, mainly on women. Kyazze said planning and budgeting processes and frameworks ensure districts and sectors allocate resources to care services from the outset. He noted that interventions such as Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, community health workers, social protection programmes and home-based childcare are being expanded, supported by monitoring systems and blended financing arrangements.
