Approximately 85% of Cabo Verde’s population aged 15 and over — some 317,916 people — performed unpaid work in 2025, primarily domestic tasks, with women engaged at significantly higher rates than men.
According to data released on Thursday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), there was a marked gender disparity, with women recording a participation rate of 93.0% compared with 76.7% for men — a gap of 16.3 percentage points.
In terms of time spent, women dedicated an average of 19 hours per week to these activities, while men averaged 10 hours.
Among the various categories of unpaid work, household chores were the most prevalent, involving 303,160 people, equivalent to 80.9% of the population in the relevant age group.
Care for dependent members within the household involved 126,998 people, representing a participation rate of 33.9%. In this category, 45.6% of women reported providing such care, compared with 22.2% of men.
Voluntary work was carried out by 13,026 people, corresponding to 3.5% of the population aged 15 and over, while production for own consumption involved 55,784 people — 14.9% of the total — and was more prevalent in rural areas.
The INE defines unpaid work as encompassing domestic tasks, care for children, elderly persons or other dependants, voluntary work, and production for personal consumption.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/07/10/mundo/africa/cabo-verde-ine-indica-que-mulheres-dedicaram-mais-tempo-ao-trabalho-nao-remunerado-em-2025/
