It will come little surprise to many that girls spend 40 per cent more time performing unpaid household chores than boys. That 40 per cent equates a whopping 160 million more hours of chores a day undertaken girls. In some countries, this figure is considerably higher. A new report the United Nations children's agency UNICEF highlights this disparity. UNICEF's Anju Malhotra stated. "Girls sacrifice important opportunities to learn, grow and just enjoy their childhood." She added: "This unequal distribution labour among children also perpetuates gender stereotypes and the double burden women and girls generations."
Much the work done girls is a menial and physically demanding nature. Two-thirds girls cook and clean the home, while half collect firewood or water. They also spend a long time caring children and elderly relatives. The country where girls work longest is Somalia. Here, girls aged 10 and 14 years spend 26 hours a week household chores. The report is being released to coincide the UN's International Day of the Girl Child, which is the 11th of October. UNICEF said: "Quantifying the challenges girls face is the first critical step meeting the Sustainable Development Goal on gender equality and breaking barriers that confront the world's 1.1 billion girls."
