UNPAID LABOR AND THE HIDDEN ECONOMY: MEASURING WHAT GDP IGNORES
Keywords:
unpaid work, hidden economy, gross domestic product, informal sector, household work, economic measurements, welfare indicatorsAbstract
The article provides an in-depth analysis of the concepts of unpaid labor and the hidden economy, which are not reflected in the gross domestic product (GDP) indicator, but are important for society and economic stability. The study reveals the real economic value of household labor, care work, social reproductive labor, and economic activities carried out in the informal sector. SPA E SPA This article analyzes the limitations of the traditional GDP methodology, the consequences of not taking unpaid work into account, and the implications of this for gender equality, social justice, and economic policy. It also discusses methods for measuring unpaid work based on time distribution studies, satellite accounts, and alternative welfare indicators used in international practice.
References
1. Becker GS A Treatise on the Family . — Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1991.
2. Folbre N. The Invisible Heart: Economics and Family Values . — New York: The New Press, 2001.
3. Sen A. Development as Freedom . — New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
4. Schneider F., Enste D. The Shadow Economy: An International Survey . — Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
5. Feige EL The Underground Economies: Tax Evasion and Information Distortion . — Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
6. United Nations. System of National Accounts (SNA 2008) . — New York: United Nations, 2009.
7. United Nations Development Programme . Human Development Report . — New York: UNDP, 2020.
8. International Labor Organization. Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work . — Geneva: ILO, 2018.
9. OECD. Measuring the Value of Household Production . — Paris: OECD Publishing, 2018.
10. World Bank. Women, Business and the Law . —Washington DC: World Bank, 2021.
11. Benería L. Gender, Development and Globalization: Economics as if All People Mattered . — New York: Routledge, 2003.
12. Eisner R. The Total Incomes System of Accounts . — Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989.
13. Ironmonger D. Household Production and the Household Economy . — Melbourne: University of Melbourne Press, 1996.
14. Himmelweit S. Domestic Labor and the Household . — London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.
15. Stiglitz J., Sen A., Fitoussi J.-P. Report by the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress . — Paris, 2009.
16. OECD. How's Life? Measuring Well-being . — Paris: OECD Publishing, 2020.
17. United Nations. Guide on Valuing Unpaid Household Service Work . — New York: UN, 2017.
18. Elson D. Gender Budgeting and Macroeconomic Policy . — Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2002.
19. Razavi S. The Political and Social Economy of Care . — Geneva: UNRISD, 2007.
20. World Economic Forum. Global Gender Gap Report . — Geneva, 2021.
21. Jütting J., Laiglesia J. Is Informal Normal? — Paris: OECD Development Centre, 2009.
22. United Nations Statistics Division. Household Satellite Accounts . — New York: UN, 2016.
23. Picchio A. Social Reproduction: The Political Economy of the Labor Market . — Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.


