Definition
not having received payment for work done, or describing a debt that has not yet been paid off.
Etymology
From the prefix 'un-' meaning 'not,' combined with 'paid,' the past tense of 'pay.' This straightforward formation reflects English's productive use of negation prefixes.
Kelly Says
Historically, unpaid labor (slavery, servitude, and women's household work) generated more economic value than paid labor, yet remains largely invisible in how we count wealth and productivity. Language shapes what we notice and value in society.
Translations
ARالعربية
غير مدفوع
ghay-r ma-da-f-u-a
CACatalà
no pagat
no pa-gat
CSČeština
neuhrazeno
ne-uh-ra-ze-no
DADansk
ubehagelig
u-be-ha-ge-lig
DEDeutsch
unbezahlt
un-be-zahlt
ELΕλληνικά
ανεξόφλητος
an-ex-o-phi-l-tos
ESEspañol
no pagado
no pa-ga-do
FAفارسی
پرداخت نشده
pardakht na-shode
FISuomi
maksamaton
maks-a-ma-ton
FRFrançais
non payé
non pa-ye
HAHA
ba'a tsayi
ba-a tsai-yi
HEעברית
לא שולם
lo she-lum
HIहिन्दी
अनभुगतान
an-bhu-ga-taan
HUMagyar
nem fizetve
nem fi-zet-ve
IDBahasa Indonesia
belum dibayar
be-lum di-bayar
IGIG
ahụghị eji
a-hu-ghi e-ji
ITItaliano
non pagato
non pa-ga-to
KMKM
មិនបានបង់
min ba-n bong
MRMR
अनभुगतान
an-bhu-ga-taan
MSBahasa Melayu
belum dibayar
be-lum di-bayar
MYမြန်မာ
ပေးမယ့်
pe-ye-myit
NLNederlands
ongeteld
on-ge-teld
NONorsk
ubehagelig
u-be-ha-ge-lig
PLPolski
niezapłacony
nie-za-pla-ko-ny
PTPortuguês
não pago
na-o pa-go
RORomână
neplatit
ne-pla-tit
RUРусский
не оплачен
ne op-la-chen
SVSvenska
obehag
o-be-hag
SWKiswahili
sifa isiyo malipo
si-fa i-si-yo ma-li-po
TAதமிழ்
வாங்கப்படாத
vaang-ka-ppa-da-ath
TEతెలుగు
పెట్టుబడి
pet-tu-b-di
THไทย
ยังไม่ได้จ่าย
yang-ma-dai-jai
TLTL
hindi binabayaran
hin-di bi-na-ba-ya-ran
TRTürkçe
ödenmemiş
o-den-me-miş
UKУкраїнська
не оплачений
ne op-la-chen-y
URاردو
بے پیسہ
be-pe-es-ha
VITiếng Việt
chưa được thanh toán
chua duoc thanh toan
ZUZU
alungilelwe
a-lu-ngi-le-lwe
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Unpaid labor has disproportionately fallen on women—domestic work, caregiving, emotional labor, and community organizing remain unmeasured and undervalued. Economics long excluded this from GDP.
Inclusive Usage
Specify 'unpaid caregiving,' 'unpaid domestic labor,' or 'uncompensated work' to name the gendered division rather than rendering it invisible as general 'unpaid' activity.
Inclusive Alternatives
["uncompensated caregiving","unpaid domestic labor","volunteer emotional labor","unremunerated community work"]
Empowerment Note
Feminist economists (Marilyn Waring, Diane Elson) documented that women's unpaid work subsidizes entire economies; it is not naturally female nor inevitable.