housewives demand pay from govt

The daily grind of looking after their children and families, albeit with no remuneration, has led housewives in Kerala to form a trade union, demanding that the government pay them a fixed salary and old-age pension for the services being rendered.

Celebrating international Women's Day on Sunday, they said a registered union would be formed by the month-end.

Sulochana Ramakrishnan, the meet convener, stressed the need for women to play an important role in nation-building and said the collective would chalk out its strategy before March 25. She quoted a study saying that housewives spend at least 273 minutes a day looking after their children.