Care Burden Cripples Women’s Businesses

Gantsetseg, 40, is a self-employed craftswoman. With skilled hands, she makes felt slippers and boots, supplying them to traders in markets and shopping centres. The retailers buy her products cheaply and resell them at a markup—a common practice.
When asked why she doesn’t sell directly to customers, her answer traces back to a familiar problem: time. For now, she’s simply grateful to have her products displayed on a few stalls, making the rounds in the market.

Another example: Bayasgalan, 47, runs a small print shop. She takes passport photos, types, and prints documents. She works alone, constantly on the move. Next to her, a boy—her son, perhaps in third grade—spends his day playing on a phone. He comes to work with his mother so he doesn’t have to stay home alone.
Bayasgalan dreams of having her own office and building a studio with a small team. But she has no time to chase funding—if she locks up her print shop for a day, she loses that day’s income. Rent, electricity, household expenses—all of them tick away like a time bomb tied to her ankle.

For women entrepreneurs in Mongolia, one of the biggest obstacles is finance. And it’s not only about earning money—it’s about the long, unending list of unpaid care work that comes with it.

In February this year, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reported that women’s labour force participation in Mongolia stands at 51.5%, compared to 66.4% for men. Research shows that with every new child born into a family, women’s participation rates drop further.

“Care work has long supported economic activity without receiving proper investment. In Mongolia, there is an opportunity to change this situation and make the care economy a policy priority. Investing in care is not a cost—it is a valuable investment that fuels growth, development, innovation, and an inclusive society,” said UNDP Resident Representative Matilda Dimovska.

Indeed, for many women, unpaid care work is the single biggest barrier to securing investment, applying for loans, or building their own capital. This invisible, relentless labour—without breaks, shifts, or pay—has quietly suffocated Mongolia’s “women’s economy” for decades.

Faced with a choice between tending to a newborn or pursuing a loan, most mothers will choose their child. As a result, no matter how talented or educated they are, women often remain confined to the role of caregiver during the most active and productive years of their lives.

When it comes to loans, the barriers are even steeper. Without formal income records or social insurance contributions to use as collateral, women are locked out of credit systems—leaving huge untapped economic potential sitting, unused, in households under the names of mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters.

This isn’t only about economics—it’s also about social norms. From childhood, Mongolian girls are raised to be carers. They are taught that their purpose is to save others, to put themselves last, to give everything for someone else.

Meanwhile, headlines warn that Mongolia’s economy is slowing. In the first half of this year, the country’s balanced budget revenue fell by 989 billion MNT to 13.2 trillion MNT, while the balance of payments posted a 758 billion MNT deficit. During budget discussions, the contribution of women-led businesses—and the potential gains from investing in them—are rarely, if ever, mentioned.

Yet women’s ability to think, plan, and manage multiple tasks at once is exactly the kind of skill that could give Mongolia’s economy more agility. Too often, however, this is dismissed by competitors as “emotional decision-making”—a supposed weakness. But emotions are part of human nature, and dismissing them might just be one of the reasons our economy is faltering.

As former IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde once said, if we supported women’s participation in major decisions, household incomes around the world could increase by 35%. And if banks were equally led by women, our financial systems would be far more stable.

Balancing the demands of caregiving without abandoning the frontlines of business is no easy feat. That is why, at Room24.mn, we are committed to amplifying the voices of women entrepreneurs—advocating for investments, policies, and market access that will allow them to thrive.

Dear reader, here’s how you can join us:

• Share your story. If you’re a businesswoman, mother, or woman facing challenges you want to talk about, write to us at info@room24.mn. We can edit your story and publish it—either under your name or anonymously.

• Ask your questions. If you have a specific question about expanding your business, email us at info@room24.mn. We’ll connect you with experts and publish their advice.

• Become a contributor. If you want to write about the care economy or improving the business environment for women, contact munkhchimeg@room24.mn. By writing on your area of expertise, you can become one of our intellectual contributors and receive membership benefits.