Unpaid care work, such as looking after children and doing household chores, is critical to the well-being of families and the foundation of the nation, according to parliamentary aspirant Ernestine Mukamurara.
The 50-year-old resident of Gasabo District, and mother of five children - four sons and one daughter - emphasises the often overlooked value of unpaid care work in Rwandan society.
"Unpaid care work is undervalued, yet when a wife is at home, she takes care of children's upbringing and family welfare, contributing nobly to both the family and the country," she said.
Mukamurara noted that many employed parents send their toddlers to crèches due to their busy schedules, which may lead to a lack of parental care.
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"When both parents go to work, the upbringing of their children is affected because they are not aware of the behaviors their children pick up in their absence," she told The New Times after submitting her candidature for the July parliamentary elections under the women's category.
She highlighted the challenges faced by wives who perform unpaid care work, often without recognition or appreciation.
"The weariness of wives who do unpaid care work is not understood. They work hard, but their efforts are not acknowledged as employment. Consequently, they sometimes face domestic violence, being mistreated and undervalued," Mukamurara explained.
Furthermore, she pointed out that societal attitudes contribute to the problem, where wives who do not engage in income-generating activities are often deemed worthless.
"We frequently hear of husbands leaving their wives for women who have money, which causes significant distress and hardship for the wives and their children," she said.
ALSO READ: Unpaid care work to be valued in divorce settlement cases
In cases where a husband leaves, wives are often left to care for the children single handedly, sometimes resorting to street vending to survive. Mukamurara argues that the importance of unpaid care work must be recognised and valued. "If a wife's unpaid care work were monetized, it could sometimes exceed the value of paid work," she said.
Mukamurara believes that advocating for these changes from within Parliament would be effective. "If elected, I will collaborate with other parliamentarians to ensure wives who do unpaid care work are treated fairly and with respect, and to improve their living conditions," she stated.
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Mukamurara has extensive experience in public service, having held various roles in the former Kagugu Sector and Gisozi District (now part of Gasabo District) from 2000 to 2008.
After losing her job due to reforms requiring university education for civil servants, she benefited from government support to pursue higher education, earning a bachelor's degree in administrative sciences from the Independent University of Kigali (ULK) in 2011.
Despite her qualifications, she has not secured paid employment since then and seeks to serve the country as a legislator.
Rwanda is currently considering a draft law that aims to value unpaid care work in the event of divorce for those married under the community of property regime. The bill proposes that judges consider the value of unpaid care work, estimating it to be worth between 10 and 39 percent of the marital property acquired during the marriage.
