Comprehensive care systems and fair jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean
| Areas | : | Ethnicity, gender and citizenship |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher/s in charge | : | Lorena Alcazar |
| Other researchers | : | Vanessa Rojas, Andrea Arroyo |
| Execution time | : | July 2024 |
Presentation
The care economy is the “hidden engine” of our economies, but it remains undervalued and unrecognized. Women and girls are primarily responsible for the unpaid work that enables the reproduction of life. Moreover, women are overrepresented in the paid care sector, which, although an important employer for them, is characterized by unfair and precarious working conditions. These inequalities are exacerbated by factors such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and migration, especially for women who are part of global and regional care chains. The care economy also faces a crisis, with inequitable distribution constituting one of the most persistent barriers to achieving gender equality. Due to their disproportionate caregiving responsibilities, women experience time poverty, which affects their well-being, labor market participation and access to quality jobs. In this context, to address systemic and persistent inequalities, this project aims to implement and strengthen comprehensive care systems and policies in Latin America and the Caribbean that recognize, reduce and equitably redistribute care work. It seeks to guarantee decent working conditions and increase the participation and agency of feminist and women’s organizations in the care sector. The project focuses on strengthening care policies at national and subnational levels, generating data on their effectiveness and supporting their implementation. It also provides evidence to advocate for the centrality of these policies. A key aspect is the active participation of feminist organizations and movements in the design, implementation and monitoring of care policies, paying special attention to under-explored issues. In addition, it proposes three pillars underpinning its objectives: i) Local feminist collaborative research fund on care; ii) Peer-to-peer learning facility; and iii) Translation, synthesis, dissemination and engagement of feminist knowledge.
