Unveiling the Wits Care Work Valuation Project
The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) has officially launched the Care Work Valuation Project, a groundbreaking three-year initiative aimed at quantifying and elevating the value of unpaid care work amid escalating climate challenges. Announced on April 2, 2026, this transdisciplinary effort led by the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) seeks to bridge the gap between economic policy, gender equity, and environmental sustainability. Researchers emphasize that revaluing care—encompassing domestic tasks, childcare, eldercare, and crucially, environmental stewardship like water collection and river clean-ups—could fortify communities against climate-induced shocks.
This project emerges at a pivotal moment for South African higher education, where Wits continues to lead in addressing intersectional inequalities. By centering feminist economics and ecological sciences, it promises to influence national policies on just transitions and climate adaptation.
The Climate-Care Nexus Explained
The climate-care nexus refers to the intertwined relationship between climate change impacts and the burden of unpaid care work. As extreme weather events intensify—droughts, floods, and heatwaves—households face heightened demands for care, such as fetching scarce water or tending to climate-related illnesses. This nexus is profoundly gendered: women and girls, primary caregivers, bear the brunt, spending significantly more time on these tasks than men.
In practical terms, climate degradation disrupts access to natural resources, amplifying care needs while depleting caregivers' time for education, paid work, or rest. Conversely, investing in care systems enhances resilience, fostering regenerative practices like community gardens or waste management that mitigate environmental harm.
Unpaid Care Work in South Africa: Stark Realities
South Africa exemplifies the crisis. Time-use surveys reveal women dedicate 3 to 3.4 times more hours to unpaid care than men, often up to four hours daily in sub-Saharan contexts including SA. A 2000 Statistics South Africa survey showed employed women averaging 210 minutes daily on non-market unpaid production versus men's 82 minutes. Globally, women perform 2.5 times more unpaid care, with girls contributing 160 million extra hours daily.
This invisibility perpetuates poverty cycles, limits women's economic participation, and undermines climate adaptation. The project aims to monetize this labor, akin to carbon credits, to advocate for recognition in GDP and budgets.
SCIS at the Forefront: Wits' Research Hub
Housed within Wits' School of Commerce, Law and Management, SCIS tackles inequality through interdisciplinary lenses. Directed by Prof Imraan Valodia, it spearheads projects like the Future of Work(ers) and now the Care Work Valuation Project. The centre's African Care and Climate Innovation Alliance (ACACIA) Hub, funded by CAD 1.2 million from IDRC, complements this by mapping climate-finance applications to care, such as 'care credits'.
SCIS fosters collaborations across faculties, including the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences (APES), blending economics with ecology.
Key Researchers Driving the Project
Sonia Phalatse, feminist economist at SCIS, champions transforming economies to prioritize wellbeing over profit. 'Deep transformation means centering care in economics,' she states. Julia Taylor focuses on water economics and breaking silos through inclusive dialogues. Prof Chevonne Reynolds from APES highlights ecological care, proposing bonds for rural stewardship.
- Sonia Phalatse: Structural inequalities and feminist economics
- Julia Taylor: Climate-care intersections, interdisciplinary forums
- Prof Chevonne Reynolds: Biodiversity credits for care economy
- Prof Imraan Valodia: Overall direction, policy advocacy
Contributors to the related working paper 'Perspectives on the Care-Climate Nexus' include global experts like Diane Elson and Naila Kabeer.
Project Methodology and Approach
The three-year endeavor emphasizes evidence collection via time-use surveys, economic modeling, and stakeholder dialogues. Transdisciplinary methods draw from recent Wits roundtables on water crises, involving artists, activists, and scientists. Valuation techniques mirror environmental finance: estimating care's market equivalent to push for policy integration.
Steps include:
- Mapping unpaid care burdens pre- and post-climate events
- Developing 'care credits' frameworks
- Hub creation for ongoing research and advocacy
- Policy briefs for SA government and G20
South African Context: Intersecting Crises
In SA, climate impacts exacerbate inequalities. Droughts force longer water fetches, floods destroy homes, increasing care loads. Rural women support ecological stewardship yet lack recognition. The project aligns with national priorities like the Just Energy Transition, advocating care in adaptation finance.SCIS working paper details these links.
Africa faces extreme droughts on 64% of land (2013-2022), with sub-Saharan heat mortality surging.
Global and Regional Perspectives
The nexus resonates globally: UN Women notes climate amplifies women's unpaid loads. ACACIA Hub extends to East/Southern Africa, building capacity for evidence mobilization. Lessons from Brazil highlight fiscal challenges in care-climate policy.
Policy Implications and Just Transitions
Valuing care could unlock investments, akin to green bonds, for resilient infrastructure. Recommendations: socialize care, track gender-climate finance, human rights-based transitions. For Wits, this positions the university as a leader in impactful research.
Photo by Ofspace LLC on Unsplash
Future Outlook and Opportunities
Over three years, expect hubs, policy papers, and scalable models. This fosters careers in feminist economics and climate research at SA universities. Wits' initiative inspires higher ed peers to tackle polycrises holistically.