The eradication of poverty and injustice depends on women’s equal enjoyment of their human rights. Oxfam has invested significantly in women’s economic leadership, and affirms that economic empowerment requires parallel progress in women’s political, social and personal empowerment. Women’s control over their own time and labour is increasingly recognized as a precondition for this, as confirmed by the recent UN Human Rights report (2013) and the UN Women’s report on the Progress of the World’s Women (2015-2016). Around 75 per cent of the world’s total unpaid care work is performed by women, including housework, water and firewood collection, and caring for people such as children and the elderly. Unpaid care work is necessary for all societies to function, has tremendous social value
and is a source of fulfillment to many; therefore reducing the amount of care provided to people
is not a solution. What must change are the inequalities in who pays for and provides care. To
fulfill women’s rights and to move towards greater substantive equality between women and
men, there is a need to tackle the inequalities created by heavy and unequal unpaid care
workloads (IDS: 2016).

Based on this belief, and with the support of the Hewlett Foundation, Oxfam has implemented a
3-year programme on Women’s Economic Empowerment and Unpaid Care Work (WE-Care) for
evidence generation and influencing change in 6 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
This report summarises the rationale for the WE-Care programme in Malawi, describes its key
activities and research methodologies, and highlights main findings from each activity