Nepal, July 6 -- There is a long-standing economic assumption that work without a wage is not 'real' work, yet the deeper issue lies beyond adding monetary value to it.

Can assigning a price to care meaningfully address the structural inequalities that have historically confined women to subordinate social and economic roles? Furthermore, what is being measured-and how?

Is this amount based on replacement cost (what it would cost to hire multiple workers), minimum wage standards, time-use surveys, or merely a judicial estimate for compensation claims? Valuation is not just a technical exercise; it reflects how society understands the role of care.

Care work is not a single, measurable activity. It includes cooking, cleaning, childcare...