Unpaid Care Work: The term "unpaid care work" in this report refers to tasks carried out by women in the home, such as housework, cooking, and caring for children, old people and sick people where the person doing this work is not paid. The term includes work done for the family as well as what is sometimes called ‘volunteer’ work, where individuals assist other households or the community more generally.  Many other terms have been used for what we call "unpaid care work’" and these terms, as feminist economist Diane Elson explains, often lead to confusion. For example:

• “Domestic labor”: Does this refer to what we call unpaid care work or does it refer to the work of paid domestic workers?
  
  
• “Unpaid labor”: Does this refer to what we call unpaid care work or does it refer to the work a woman does without pay in the family business and/or in the fields?
  
  
• “Reproductive work”: Does this refer to what we call unpaid care work or does it refer to giving birth and breast-feeding?
  
  
  

“Home work” or “Home-based work”: Does this refer to what we call unpaid care work or does it refer to paid work done in the home? (as piecemeal labour taken in the home, such as sewing, rug-making, crafts, etc, or when preparing goods in the home through a subcontract from an employer) (D. Buddlender, “Why should we care for unpaid care work?” Cape Town, 2002)