Jasmine and Anthony are a married couple with one child. Anthony works 8 hours a day at his paid job and does 1 hour of housework and care work when he gets home. Jasmine does not have a paid job but spends 9 hours a day on housework and care work in the home. Although they both work about the same total amount of hours, why might Jasmine still be considered at an economic disadvantage?

Jasmine might be considered at an economic disadvantage because she doesn't recieve a salary for the work she does in the home. Unlike Jasmine, although Anthony works the same amount of hours as her, he earns a salary and other economic benefits from his job, like loans and credits; in turn, he has more purchasing power than her. This difference also has consequences in their relationship, he has more economic power and therefore he has more decision-making power in the relationship. If they get a divorce or if for some other reason she wants to go back into the job market, the years she has spent working in the home will not translate as years of job experience and will not have a compensation in the labor market.

For all of the reasons mentioned above, several countries have discussed different ways to minimize women's economic disadvantage, arguing that housework should be redefined and considered a job like any other out of home jobs and it should also be retributed. A large number of studies have also shown the earnings a country gains as a result of women's housework.