Homemakers are nation builders: How Supreme Court recognised economic value of unpaid domestic labour

📌 Summary:

• The Supreme Court created a new compensatory head, "loss of domestic care", recognising the economic value of unpaid domestic labour performed by homemakers
• A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh held that homemakers are "economic entities" and "nation builders", not merely caregivers
• In a 2001 Haryana road-accident death, compensation was raised from Rs 2.42 lakh (tribunal) to Rs 62.77 lakh (SC)
• The ruling targets compensation law's persistent failure to value unpaid care work, especially by women

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS1 Society / GS2 — gender, the unpaid care economy, women's economic contribution and judicial recognition

📝 Prelims Facts:

• New compensatory head: "loss of domestic care" in motor-accident compensation
• Bench: Justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh
• Compensation raised from Rs 2.42 lakh to Rs 62.77 lakh

🔑 Key Term: Unpaid care work — domestic and caregiving labour, disproportionately by women, excluded from GDP yet economically significant.