On a quiet beach in Malé, you may see a mother balancing her child on her hip while her husband scrolls through his phone. At first glance, it feels ordinary. But if we pause and look deeper, we see a bigger truth about our nation.
The latest Labor Force Survey tells us that 48 percent of Maldivian women are not in paid jobs because of family responsibilities. Nearly half of our sisters, daughters, and mothers : choosing, or being left with no choice, to step away from formal employment or engaging in income earning activities.
The Silent Workforce
Among women who are not employed and not even seeking work, more than half are fully occupied with family care. Cooking, cleaning, caregiving, nurturing: duties that demand time, love, and energy. Yet these remain invisible in the language of economics.
Maldivian women now have higher educational attainment than men. More women hold degrees and advanced qualifications. Still, fewer are in formal jobs.
Now that’s the usual narrative. But there’s a different perspective that can only be understood from a cultural lense. These women are building the nation, and taking the burden of elderly care from the State.
Family First, Nation Too
Looking after children, guiding their learning, caring for elderly parents: these are not small tasks. They shape the next generation. They preserve the dignity of our elders. They keep households whole.
Alhamdhulillahi, our families stand strong on the patience and service of women. But when family responsibility is seen as only a “woman’s role,” we lose balance. Men must share the load. Communities must provide support. And the nation must recognize unpaid care as essential work.
What We Must Build
- Recognition: that unpaid family care is work, vital to the nation.
- Tools and training: for parenting, elder care, and household management.
- Support systems: affordable childcare, respite services, flexible work options.
- Celebration and reward: of those who dedicate their lives to family care.
For the women who forego employment and take on these responsibilities, respect is due. And for the nation, the task is clear: appreciate, support, and reward their contribution: for they are building the Maldives, one home at a time.
Smile and Let Smile 