COVID-19 has worsened care needs, increasing unpaid care work for women in Indonesia, limiting their workforce participation and contributing to gender inequality. Valuing unpaid care work through policies and measurement is necessary for economic empowerment and gender equality. Other interventions include incentivizing decent work, reducing poverty, and promoting women’s leadership in the economy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated care needs, resulting in an increase in unpaid care work for women and girls, which is further reinforcing the gender gap in Indonesia. Although there are family-friendly policies in place, social and gender norms, along with a lack of discourse on issues related to unpaid care work in policymaking, have hindered progress in transforming the care economy. This pattern of gender inequality needs to be addressed by recognizing unpaid care work as labor and positioning it in relation to its potential labor outcomes. Time-use or time-budget surveys, Gender Responsive Budgeting, and SDG indicators can provide evidence for policymakers to recognize the nature and implications of unpaid care work. To transform the care economy, initiatives to Recognize, Reduce, and Redistribute unpaid care work must be implemented, matched with fitting Rewards and Representation of paid care workers. Multidimensional approaches beyond the 5Rs are also critical, such as incentivizing decent work, supporting the development and implementation of macroeconomic policies that advance gender equality, engaging with women’s organizations, and supporting women’s active participation and leadership in the economy.