Most of the work women do is invisible. How much? Roughly $300 billion. According to a November 2015 report by consulting firm McKinsey, Indian women do 10 times as much unpaid work as the men. If they spent that time at a workplace instead, they would add $300 billion to the economy. Instead, women spend hours every day being caregivers, housekeepers, and in-house accountants, chefs and managers, with no pay. This film by NGO Action Aid India draws a stark picture of rural life in parts of Maharashtra, where frequent droughts have inspired the concept of ‘water wives’, ie a man takes in multiple partners to help carry home the water. The short film is written and directed by Swati Bhattacharya, who once wrote a piece for The Ladies Finger called The Dirtiest Secret Of My Worklife. It’s about the many paid-but-pointless hours men spend at work.
