The Invisible Masterclass of Productivity

2026-03-10 - 07:55

Listen to the AI generated audio article. Your browser does not support the audio element. What do you do now? Oh, nothing. I decided to extend my maternity leave. How much of this “nothing” have we seen mothers do while on maternity leave? In everyday life, the working mother is often cast as an ambitious hero, while the “stay-at-home mom” is framed through a lens of having limited drive, little appreciation for the value of formal employment, or even a lack of agency to get a seat at the table. Simply put, a lack of ambition. That’s the narrative of our busy daily routines. But then come those family gatherings, those Sunday lunches or dinners that, in Armenia, can look more like food festivals. Those gatherings aren’t just about lunch. They are elaborate social productions involving extended family and a very specific cultural choreography. With enough food and alcohol, they inevitably turn into a series of toasts praising women. And this March 8 was no different; the same poetic toasts about women being the neck that turns the head of the family made its familiar appearance. It suggests that women’s power is only valid when it operates in support of a man. But what if it is a conscious, active choice rather than a passive settling into a supporting role? When a woman decides to stay at home, the National Statistical Service records her as “economically inactive” because no wages are reported, no taxable transactions occur for the tax and revenue committees. This category includes mothers on maternity leave, women performing unpaid household labor, women who are discouraged from seeking work due to care responsibilities, and those who deliberately choose to prioritize family and domestic work over formal employment. The label “inactive”, however, describes a labor market status, not the absence of productivity. In reality, these women are maintaining essential infrastructure. This is not something abstract, the global development world has a term for it, unpaid care economy, and it is far from marginal. Globally, the International Labor Organization estimates that unpaid care work would account for between 10-39% of GDP if monetized. While Armenia does not yet formally measure its unpaid care economy in national accounts, the scale of women’s time investment suggests it represents a substantial, though invisible, contribution to economic stability. It is the invisible care economy that keeps the “real” economy running. If there are children in the family, then mothers are doing one of the most strategic and long-term paying investments: early childhood development. Similar to the regular balance sheets, where the most valuable assets are often those not listed, the investment in human capital is one of the most expensive things to invest in. Because the optimistic broadcast of 10-15 years “ROI” of parenting rarely overlaps with a four-year political cycle, it is often ignored in the formal public development agenda. Many of us can recall moments when we discuss and debate Armenia’s societal challenges. At some point, a consensus is reached that education might be the magic key to everything: fighting domestic violence, changing behavior, and dismantling corrupt systems. But it’s not only about academic education that teaches numbers and letters. It’s a more complex system of raising decent humans. Development economics has long emphasized the importance of the “first 1,000 days” of life as a critical window for human capital formation. Nobel Laureate in Economics and expert in the economics of human development, James Heckman estimates that high-quality early childhood interventions can bring annual returns of 7-13% through improved education and social outcomes and higher lifetime earnings. In other words, the intensive caregiving that often takes place within households during these early years is not only emotional labor. It is a long-term economic strategy. Taking on family duties and providing care around the house is essential economic infrastructure. We’ve accidentally created a narrative in which a woman is only “empowered” if she is earning a salary, effectively devaluing the labor of love. Armenia does not suffer from a lack of educated women. Women are more likely than men to complete tertiary education, representing over 65% of bachelor’s enrollments and nearly twice as many master’s students as men. Yet this academic success does not automatically translate into labor market participation, leadership, or financial earnings. The laws of physics remind us that energy is never lost. The efforts and investments women make developing their human capital circulate invisibly, sustaining families and society even when traditional economic metrics fail to capture them. Recognizing the economic value of unpaid care does not mean discouraging women’s participation in formal employment. It means acknowledging that productivity exists beyond wage labor. The limitation lies not in women’s contribution, but in the narrow definition of what counts as economic activity and productivity. Non-working women are important economic actors whose productivity is directed toward the foundational resilience of the Armenian family unit. This is a role that needs to be supported by policy, not dismissed by social norms. While ambition is often equated with climbing the corporate ladder, it may help to broaden the definition: ambition is the intentional pursuit of value. If that value is raising the next generation of competent, effective and engaged citizens, it is no less ambitious than leading a tech team or managing a company. Also see When Tradition Isn’t Enough: New Approaches to Parenting in Armenia Hranoush Dermoyan Nov 5, 2025 As young parents confront sleepless nights and conflicting advice, many are turning from tradition to science-based parenting. Through sleep consultants and Armenia’s first Parenting School, some families are redefining child-rearing with modern tools, research and empathy. Read more Childcare: The Working Mother’s Dilemma in Armenia Hranoush Dermoyan Jun 11, 2025 Facing limited childcare options and short parental leave, many Armenian mothers are forced to choose between career and caregiving. Hranoush Dermoyan explores the systemic failures behind Armenia’s childcare crisis, and what it means for women, families and economic growth. Read more Motherhood Behind Bars Astghik Karapetyan Dec 4, 2024 Exploring the lives of incarcerated mothers at Armenia's Abovyan Penitentiary, Astghik Karapetyan delves into the challenges of raising children in confinement, the impact on maternal bonds, and the institutional efforts to balance rehabilitation with the children’s best interests. Read more