Done-Paid
or
Women's house work - How it should be rewarded?

For a year and a half we have been running in foundation "Taking care of the world" a campaign "DONE-PAID or women's housework - how to reward it". We can see the results of ignoring women's rights: violence against them, poverty, too small participation in public life. We point out the structural cause of these problems: no payment for housework done by women for ages.

Women's economic rights are ignored all over the world. This problem is so difficult that it seems almost impossible to solve it in existing system. But Poland has good tradition in starting changes in what seemed impossible (for instance social movement Solidarność and its leader Lech Wałęsa). Now it is time to take the next step.

In our opinion the key to the problem called "equality" is women's money. A fight for equality hasn't ended yet. First we fought out a right to education, then to work outside home, next electoral rights. Now it's time to fight for our economic rights. It's time to work on new way of thinking and new solutions.

Only when women become financially independent, not by taking on additional responsibilities but by achieving recognition for their housework, such shameful acts as violence against women can be eliminated. Only then social and political activation of women, so desired by international institutions, will be possible. Because without dealing with causes we can't deal with effects.

We managed to make a problem of unwaged housework visible in media. During our talks with journalists and politicians we call 17th Recommendation from 1991 of Executive Committee of UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, ratified by Poland in July 1980. The Recommendation draws governments' attention to the need for a valuation of unpaid women's housework by states and considering it in estimates of national income. We got many letters from women from all over the country. Our campaign was taken under the auspicies of Minister Barbara Labuda from the President's Office. Thanks to her we are organising in January 17th 2002 in Presidential Palace a conference for politicians and economists. The conference "New economic realism: unpaid housework - an unknown creator of economic growth" is financed by the Netherlands Embassy in Poland. The conference will be under media patronage of public television.

We hope that with a help of foreign and Polish experts we will be able to draw public and politicians' attention to the issue of unwaged housework, which is almost unknown but very important factor of economic growth. We also hope to introduce a term "unwaged housework" into public use and to create a lobby in parliament and media for the equal treatment of productive and reproductive work, as women's housework is called in international documents. In our opinion the measurable value of women's housework should set new tax, credit and retirement solutions for women.

Six thousand years ago the patriarchate has overcame the women - the society has been based on man's domination. The women started to be his property, and had to have show him gratitude for any kind of concession he made for them. Any kind of domination possessed by one part of mankind (…) over the other, results in a rebellion, anger, hatred, and wish of revenge in pressed and exploited, together with fear and uncertainty in those, who press and exploit.

Erich Fromm, an interview for "L'Expresso" dated January 16, 1975
quoted upon E. Fromm " Love, sex and the matriarchate"

Economists estimate the average monthly value of housework in Poland at 2000 PLN, the same as average salary. If 6 million of Polish women, working only at home, were to demand salary, they should be paid 144 thousands of million PLN a year. The next 6 million, working both at home and outside home, could demand another 72 thousands of million. Because women work at home for free, year after year they give to the economy donation higher than annual national budget, which is about 160 thousands of million.

The "Taking care of the world" Foundation was created in May 2000 by well-known psychotherapist Wojciech Eichelberger; publisher, author and mediator Anna Mieszczanek; financial advisor Jacek Piechota; reporter from the magazine "Unia-Polska" Iwona Sarjusz-Wolska and public relations specialist Anna Wołyńczyk.

The goal of the Foundation is to spread psychological culture and raise the level of the society's emotional maturity. We believe that this maturity can be measured by the attitude towards social groups that lack clear representation, whose rights, in consequence, are ignored.

The project is being coordinated by Anna Mieszczanek (46 yrs of age), one of the founders and the Foundation's Chairman of the Board, journalist, fired from work under martial law in Poland, editor of the underground magazine "Karta", author of an underground book about the events of March 1968 in Poland, recognized with an award from the "Polcul" Foundation, graduate of College of Psychological Help, co-author (together with know psychotherapist Wojciech Eichelberger) of the bestseller entitled: "How to Raise Happy Children" - in bookstores since 1994, private publisher (series of guides "Concise Psychology", books by Wojciech Eichelberger). Has been engaged in the actions of the non-government sector for a few years. In 1996-97 vice-president of the Social Ecological Institute, participant of the women's movement as a freelancer. Family mediator. Founder and first Chairman of the Board of the Associated Forum for Mediation and Mediators, initiated the creation of the Family Mediation Center under "Taking Care of the World" Foundation.

Co-creators of the project:
Anna Wołyńczyk (46 yrs of age), one of the founders of the Foundation and member of the board, journalist, public relations specialist, owner of a PR company, has experience in large projects (government Program of General Privatization, PR services for the commercial television, political marketing for the Election Coalition of Ecological Leaders running in the last election on the Unia Wolności lists).

Iwona Sarjusz - Wolska (44 yrs), journalist, one of the founders of the Foundation, assistant of "Financial Times" correspondent - Krzysztof Bobiński, for many years; part of the editorial staff of a magazine dedicated to integration with the European Union "Union - Poland".

Wojciech Eichelberger (57 yrs), one of the founders and head of the Benefactors' Council for the Foundation, psychologist, psychotherapist, creator of one of the first private psychotherapeutic institutions - the famous "Laboratorium Psychoedukacji". Known author of books still present on the market, since 1994 (9 titles), a permanent associate of women's magazines ("Zwierciadło", weekend insert in "Gazeta Wyborcza" - "Wysokie Obcasy").

Aid of volunteers: translator Ireneusz Barszczewski (mechanical engineer), administrator Tadeusz Gulina (electrician from the public television), translator Joanna Kwaśniewska (this year's graduate of Psychology Department), translator and researcher Katarzyna Pietrucha ( student of the Social applied Studies), translator and researcher Igor Kamiński (this year's graduate of Law Department), translator and researcher Edyta Małek (student of Law and International Relations).

We are able to lead our campaign thanks to the good will of the following persons and institutions: SMG/KRC Poland, Helsinki Fund, Women in Parliament Group, Forum of Non-Government Initiatives, Pressel Company, Rebis Publishing, INWENCJAŁ Company tel +48 600 630 075 (logo).

Our participation in Brussels conference on the 8th of November 2001 and preparation of English version of materials and webb are financed by British Embassy in Warsaw.

The conference "New economic realism: unpaid housework - an unknown creator of economic growth" on April 26th 2002, is financed by the Netherlands Embassy in Poland.