Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered...

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 20 to 29.

Domestic labor remains indispensable to the functioning of modern society, yet it continues to be undervalued and unequally distributed across genders. [I] Tasks such as preparing meals, cleaning living spaces, managing laundry, and caring for children or elderly family members demand significant time, attention, and physical effort, often without recognition or compensation. In most households, women carry out the majority of these responsibilities, regardless of whether they also engage in paid employment. Although the degree of gender disparity varies by cultural and national context, the overall trend is remarkably consistent: women experience an inordinate burden of unpaid domestic labor. This imbalance has serious long-term implications, including reduced lifetime earnings, diminished opportunities for career progression, heightened psychological stress, and the enduring “caregiver penalty,” a term often used in policy circles.

Emerging technological solutions are being introduced to alleviate the growing pressure of unpaid household responsibilities and may help to rebalance gender roles over time. [II] According to a cross-national forecast by AI researchers in the UK and Japan, approximately 39% of domestic work could be automated over the next ten years. Tasks involving regularity and physical repetition – such as shopping, cooking, and basic cleaning – are particularly suited to automation, with grocery shopping alone projected to reach 59% automation potential.

The ubiquitous assimilation of autonomous systems within the domestic sphere precipitates momentous societal ramifications, possessing the inherent capacity to profoundly reconfigure established paradigms, recalibrate temporal apportionment, and fundamentally modulate enduring socioeconomic and gender equilibria. One of the most significant benefits is the potential to increase “discretionary time” – the free time left after fulfilling paid work, personal care, and household duties, which may enhance work-life balance and overall quality of life. Women, in particular, could benefit substantially from this shift, as they are statistically more encumbered by household duties. [III] If implemented equitably, automation could, in a trice, liberate hours previously consumed by domestic toil and redirect them toward personal or professional fulfilment.

Still, these benefits are not evenly distributed and come with ethical and socioeconomic concerns that must be addressed. Access to domestic technologies is often restricted to higher-income households, potentially widening existing inequalities in time, opportunity, and well-being. Additionally, smart devices frequently rely on sensitive personal data, ranging from dietary needs to emotional states, which raises valid concerns regarding privacy, surveillance, and informed consent. Care-related technologies, in particular, present profound ethical dilemmas about emotional attachment, trust, and the erosion of meaningful human interaction within family structures. [IV]

(Adapted from The Conversation)

Question 20: According to paragraph 1, what is one key reason domestic labor remains undervalued?

A. It is evenly distributed across all members of a household.

B. It does not require any specialized skill or training.

C. It is primarily performed by individuals who choose not to work for pay.

D. It is largely invisible and often goes uncompensated.