Newswise — We are seeking to support experienced international journalists with a fellowship to tell the stories of the often invisible and devalued labor that quietly powers the global economy: unpaid care work. In particular, we are interested in unpaid work as an economic and business issue, including reading about those who figured out how to measure and value it.
BackgroundUnpaid care work includes all of the activities involved in caring for others: cooking, laundry, cleaning, nursing, taking care of children and the elderly, looking after the sick, and, in some communities, gathering water and firewood. Many forms of unpaid work are not part of global economic productivity measures, like GDP, even though this work is as important to economic activity as is work in the formal, market economy.
Often, unpaid work disproportionately falls to women. This inequality is a key contributor to women’s time poverty -- when women spend more time on these tasks, they have less time to do paid work, go to school, run for office, or take on other community leadership positions.
Our project seeks to tell stories about people, organizations and communities attempting to value and measure unpaid work, and the impact that is having. Equally, we are interested in what happens when this work isn’t valued or measured.Some story ideas could include:
• New, experimental or pilot projects underway aimed at recognizing, reducing or redistributing unpaid work, including ways of engaging men;• Reported ineffectiveness of certain development interventions for business or entrepreneurship training, which neglect to take into account the time women spend on unpaid work activities;• Negative outcomes on child health when breastfeeding is not seen as having economic value;• Gender inequalities for students, given that girls who help their mothers with chores have less time for school work than their brothers;• Insufficient study and analysis of time-use data, which does not even exist in all countries, resulting in a negative impact on policy that might improve the lives of women, families and communities.
In their reporting plans, applicants should consider:
• How to make a wonky, dense policy issue come to life?• How to creatively show the connections between measuring (and not measuring) unpaid work, and the broader economic or business impact?• How to tell stories that illuminate narratives both positive and negative about what happens when we do recognize, reduce, redistribute and/or value this type of work -- both in policy and practice -- and what happens when we do not?• How to demonstrate the impact on poverty, the economy, families, communities and countries?
DetailsThe DC-based think tank New America’s Global Gender Parity Initiative, a research and journalism project of the Better Life Lab, is seeking journalists with proven business and economics reporting backgrounds to write engaging stories about the connection between unpaid work and productivity, anywhere in the world.
How to apply?Journalists are encouraged to submit pitches for short pieces, between 500-1000 words, and to include how they will use research and data from local think tanks and organizations to inform and guide their reporting.
Submissions will be reviewed by an independent panel comprising reporters, editors, and gender specialists. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed about their proposed projects.
Selected journalists will receive stipends of up to $1,500 contingent on the length of the piece and the travel necessary for reporting (if applicable). This initiative is open to pitches from journalists anywhere in the world, but preference will be given to journalists based in and reporting from the Global South.
Eligibility requirements:
• Excellent written and spoken English• Must be a journalist with at least three years of experience working in news media, either as a reporter, editor, freelancer, photographer or broadcaster• Preference will be given to reporters who have a history of publishing with top economics- and business-related publications, such as The Economist, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg.com and the New York Times• Ability to show a portfolio of fresh, in-depth takes on timely, public policy-related issues for national and international audiences• A proven track record of working well with editors and publishing in prominent media outlets.• Connections to research organizations in the country/setting you will be writing about, and ability to amplify relevant local data and research in your reporting is a plus
New America is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse work force at all levels of the organization. We value and encourage the contributions of our employees and fellows and work to create an environment where everyone can reach his or her full potential and achieve outstanding results. If you meet the qualifications, you will receive consideration for this fellowship without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identify or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state or federal law.
Contact email [email protected]Deadline Jan 9, 2017 at 3:00pmIn your local timezone (GMT -5)
Questions due Jan 5, 2017 at 8:00pmIn your local timezone (GMT -5)
Salary Selected journalists will receive stipends of up to $1,500 contingent on the length of the piece and the travel necessary for reporting.
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