Through a blend of reportage, political analysis and personal reflection, the book examines how contemporary societies measure and devalue women’s work—especially unpaid care, domestic labor and emotionally demanding professions—and argues that market logics and welfare policies obscure women’s contributions and sustain inequality. It traces historical, economic and cultural mechanisms that lock women into undervalued roles, shows how valuation affects wages, status and rights, and documents the human consequences for families, health and democracy. The author ultimately calls for a fundamental rethinking of value systems to center care, redistribution and collective responsibility rather than narrow market metrics.