Unpaid Care Work and Unpaid Domestic Work in Malaysia: A Maqasid Shariah Analysis of SDG 5.4

Unpaid care work and unpaid domestic work support family well-being; however, time-use measures alone do not explain whether care arrangements expand empowerment or produce equitable welfare. In relation to Target 5.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5.4), this article analyses patterns of time allocation between women and men in Malaysia, assesses their implications through Kabeer’s empowerment framework, comprising resources, agency, and achievements, and undertakes an assessment based on the Maqasid al-Shariah framework. The study employs qualitative document analysis, complemented by descriptive analysis of aggregate data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) for the 2025 reference year. The core dataset comprises 47 coded sources, supplemented by 20 additional sources for updating and triangulation. Coding preceded the Maqasid mapping and the application of four questions concerning the benefit, its recipients, the costs or harms involved, and the parties bearing such costs. Women allocate an average of six hours and seven minutes per day to total unpaid care and domestic work, compared with four hours and 20 minutes for men, representing a gender gap of one hour and 47 minutes. For unpaid care work specifically, the gap is 41 minutes. The synthesis identifies four themes: health and cognitive burden; employment and economic security; education and training; and agency. The findings demonstrate that maslahah (benefit/welfare) and mafsadah (harm) may coexist when the needs of recipients are met through non-negotiable burdens or when costs are transferred to less-protected parties. The article’s contribution lies in integrating evidence on time allocation, empowerment analysis, and Maqasid-based assessment. Policy implications focus on monitoring care and empowerment outcomes, improving work–care compatibility, expanding access to support and protection, and addressing the risks associated with the transfer of care burdens.

Unpaid care work; unpaid domestic work; Maqasid al-Shariah; women’s empowerment; SDG 5.4

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