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Hats off to the men stepping up to ease wives' unpaid domestic and care burden
A cheerful couple in their kitchen at home. The man is chopping vegetables and cooking dinner as his wife washes dishes in a sink next to him.
What you need to know:
- Some Kenyan men are beginning to share domestic responsibilities in small but meaningful ways, helping ease the enormous burden of unpaid care work carried primarily by women.
- New data from KNBS shows just how vast this imbalance remains, highlighting the need for continued action.
- KNBS data reveals that women perform over five times more unpaid domestic and care work than men in Kenya, valued at Sh2.24 trillion in 2021.
While the world paused on Wednesday, November 19, to celebrate the men in our families, workplaces, farms, and markets on International Men’s Day, what often went unnoticed were the small but meaningful efforts some men make to reduce and redistribute the burden of domestic work.
They may not always succeed—sometimes failing quite spectacularly—but recognising the imbalance and attempting to address it deserves acknowledgement, especially at a time when UN Women is championing the need to recognise, reduce, redistribute, reward, and represent unpaid domestic and care work.
Such is the case for Omwenga (who prefers the use of his middle name), a banker at a local bank who has given up making chapatis for his family. “I love helping my wife with cooking, but I cannot dare attempt to cook chapatis again,” he said.
“The first time I tried, I ended up making chapatis that were as tough as shoe leather. But I love chapatis; they are my favourite delicacy with beef stew. So, if she is making chapatis, I’d rather be frying the stew.”
This is the exact opposite of Kiptala (also using his middle name), a visual editor and one of the vanguard husbands promoting the adoption of technology in households to reduce the weight of domestic work on their wives. “I’m a good cook and I always love cooking for my family,” he said. “They always look forward to my cooking. But don’t ask me to clean the dishes or the clothes; that’s a no-go zone.”
Having recognised the challenge of laundry, Kiptala bought a washing machine, enabling him and his wife to get the washing done quickly.
Challenges
Tom (using his first name), a communications specialist, is not yet married but already pays close attention to the challenges his girlfriend faces in sharing domestic work. “Her palms peel so badly when she hand-washes, so I decided to buy a washing machine,” he said.
Tom’s childhood shaped his attitude towards domestic work, where sharing chores is simply a matter of duty. “My mother had eight sons and one daughter,” he said. “We grew up doing everything at home. I sweep or mop the house even when my girlfriend is around. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
Just like Kiptala, he is also a good cook and enjoys preparing delicious meals for his loved ones.
While these acts of reduction and redistribution may feel small, in the context of the cost of unpaid care work in Kenya, their contribution to easing the burden is significant and commendable.
On November 4, 2025, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) released its costing of the economic value of unpaid domestic and care work. It found that women spend 25.8 billion hours on this work, compared to 4.8 billion hours by men.
In 2021, unpaid domestic and care work in Kenya was valued at Sh2.24 trillion, with women contributing Sh1.89 trillion of that amount. “On average, if UDCW (unpaid domestic and care work) activities had been remunerated, each woman aged 15 years and above would have earned Sh118,845 in 2021, whilst men aged 15 years and above would each have earned Sh22,676 for the same period,” KNBS said in the costing.
