Translated with AI from the Russian original.
Household chores, childcare, and assistance to elderly relatives constitute a huge amount of labor that remains outside Armenia's official statistics. A new study has shown that a significant part of this burden falls on women and effectively represents a separate economic sector.
According to the first National Time Transfer Accounts (NTTA) study, women in Armenia perform 4–5 times more unpaid work than men. The difference is particularly noticeable at ages 30–35: during this period, the volume of household chores and care can reach 47–49 hours per week, which is comparable to a full-time additional job.
Researchers note that the total volume of unpaid labor could account for 16–30% of the country's economy. At the same time, about 78% of all work performed by women receives no monetary compensation and is not reflected in traditional economic indicators.
Tigran Jrbashyan, Head of Management Consulting Services at Ameria, called unpaid labor the largest “invisible” sector of Armenia's economy. In his opinion, the data obtained show the need to revise state policy in the areas of employment, social support, and accounting for citizens' real contribution to the country's economy.
