the state also can support families in other ways including cash transfers in the form of child and even older person support grants tax exemptions and social insurance programmes for health disability and pensions especially among lowincome households its effect on womens share of household work and the extent of their labour market participation is likely to be mediated or overruled by the influence of institutional processes cultural practices and social expectations for example unless gender inequalities in the labour markets such as gender wage gaps and discrimination in hiring and promotion are addressed by effective affirmative action and antidiscrimination employment policies womens bargaining position to negotiate a more equal share in household work is likely to remain weak the state can also take steps to help redistribute the care work within households in terms of increasing the visibility of the unpaid work contributions of women and men to the countrys economic development