A recent study by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) reveals the staggering, unrecognised toll on caregivers in ultra-poor rural Bangladesh. Focusing on narratives like Ayesha Begum’s, the op-ed by BIGD’s Md. Al-Mamun and Faruq Hossain illustrates how caregiving—primarily performed by women—is an exhausting form of “unpaid labour” that sustains life but deepens poverty. With unpaid care work valued at 19% of Bangladesh’s GDP, the authors argue for urgent policy reforms, including caregiver stipends, healthcare access, and formal recognition under the law to support those holding vulnerable households together.
A recent study by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) reveals the staggering, unrecognised toll on caregivers in ultra-poor rural Bangladesh. Focusing on narratives like Ayesha Begum’s, the op-ed by BIGD’s Md. Al-Mamun and Faruq Hossain illustrates how caregiving—primarily performed by women—is an exhausting form of “unpaid labour” that sustains life but deepens poverty. With unpaid care work valued at 19% of Bangladesh’s GDP, the authors argue for urgent policy reforms, including caregiver stipends, healthcare access, and formal recognition under the law to support those holding vulnerable households together.
