Revaluing Invisible and Undercompensated Work

Sor Juana's intellectual work—writing, thinking, teaching—was often rendered invisible or treated as ornament to her primary role as nun and servant to the institution. Contemporary economies similarly render invisible much essential labor: childcare, elder care, emotional support, maintenance of relationships and communities. Women disproportionately perform this work while receiving no wages or minimal compensation, distorting economic measurements and enriching those who extract this labor. Economic justice requires making visible this work's actual value and redesigning systems to compensate it fairly. When we add unpaid labor to economic calculations, GDP estimates plummet and inequality becomes visible. Beyond monetary compensation, justice requires restructuring so that care work is valued socially and not relegated to the economically disposable. Sor Juana's demand for recognition of her intellectual contributions paralleled the demand that all essential human work be counted, valued, and compensated. True economic justice cannot coexist with systems that depend on and devalue women's invisible labor.