Among the many care work responsibilities of rural women, 2 out of the 3 groups identified the preparation of meals as the activity that takes up most of their time and effort. This is because it involves getting or buying food, cooking, serving and cleaning up several times a day. Furthermore, it requires planning which requires them to be innovative given their limited budget. Thinking about this is stressful to them. Storing food is also a challenge as there is no electricity, especially in remote areas, so they have to collect fresh food and cook just the right portion for the family every day. Budgeting was also mentioned as one of their most challenging responsibilities. With the limited resources that they have, it is difficult for rural women to ensure that all the needs of the family are met. Washing of clothes was also identified as a difficult task for rural women as it is done by hand or without the aid of washing machines that women in urban areas are accustomed to. It also involves fetching water from the community’s common water source, which may be far from where they live. Due to development aggression, some water sources have been polluted by mining tailings and toxic wastes, adding to rural women’s burdens as they now have to travel farther to fetch water for their families. Many rural communities also still do not have access to electricity. This adds to rural women’s burden in doing care work. For instance, they need to source out and chop wood to light a fire for cooking. Rural women also need light source to enable them to help their children with their school work and perform other chores at night. Kerosene lamps are usually used as the household’s light source in rural areas. Inability to access facilities such as water and electricity adds difficulty to the care work that rural women do. Lack of infrastructure such as roads and bridges also contribute to their burden. All of these have an implication on the amount of time and effort that rural women will have to spend in doing care work. “Time poverty” is an issue to rural women as they have to perform many responsibilities within a limited time. Access to facilities and infrastructure can improve their time poverty situation. RELATED RIGHTS AND POLICY INSTRUMENTS THAT ADDRESS THE ISSUES IN CARE WORK Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) UDHR, which declares the fundamental human rights of every person in the world, first and foremost states the equality of all human beings in dignity and rights (UDHR Article 1). Article 23 calls for a “just and favorable remuneration” to everyone who works and to be supplemented by other means of social protection. In line with social protection, Article 22 states that “Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality” (un.org). Given these policies, rural women, whose time is mostly tied to care work, should also be provided with “just and favorable remuneration,” not necessarily in the form of wage, and social protection. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) CEDAW gives value to rural women’s unpaid work. “Article 14, paragraph 1 requires States parties to take into account rural women’s problems and role in the economic survival of families, including their work in the non-monetized sectors of the economy. Inclusive and sustainable 18