Care is a universal need. All of us have received and will receive care at some point in life: in early childhood and later in life due to aging, illness, or potential disability. However, the responsibility for providing care falls primarily on women, who in Latin America and the Caribbean account for 71% of the hours dedicated to caring for others (including both children and other adults).
Caring activities are frequently unpaid or poorly compensated, often occurring in deregulated or informal labor markets, as they are not recognized as “productive” tasks with immediate or visible economic benefits.
The fact that caregiving responsibilities, especially the care of young children, fall primarily on women creates a structural barrier to increasing female employment. The Better Jobs Index 2024, for instance, highlights a 20.3-point disparity, largely driven by women’s labor force participation rates, which are over 24 percentage points lower than men’s. In some countries, the difference exceeds 40 points. Moreover, parenthood continues to be a significant factor in gender income disparities.
Removing these barriers would not only enable women to reach their full potential but also significantly boost the region’s economy. Equalizing women’s labor market participation could increase gross domestic product by up to 20 percentage points
On International Women’s Day, we ask: How can we transform caregiving to make it more equitable and better valued in our region?
Quality Time and Shared Responsibility in Childcare
Evidence shows that maternity and paternity leave benefits child health and development, as well as boosting female labor force participation, provided they are linked to social security and promote male co-responsibility in care.
Men’s participation in parenting also brings multiple advantages for families. For example, it helps reduce mothers’ stress while enhancing fathers’ happiness and physical and mental health. However, as of 2023, only 18 out of 26 countries in LAC encouraged co-responsibility via paternity leave, lasting between 2 and 14 days. In other countries, such as Norway or Japan, these leaves are considerably longer, lasting between 14 and 52 weeks respectively.
Moreover, it is important to ensure that fathers take full advantage of their leave, which implies eliminating stereotypes that distance men from caring, encouraging more active participation in parenting and taking complementary measures to optimize the expected benefits of this leave on income equality.
Beyond Parental Leave: Family Leave
Transforming the distribution of care is not just a matter of equity—it is also a key strategy for social and economic development.
In Sweden for example, policies have been implemented to allow grandparents to be paid for caring for their grandchildren during the first year of a child’s life, a measure which aims to encourage flexibility in childcare and improve family reconciliation.
This more flexible type of family leave, valuable for redistributing care burdens, is expected to become progressively more relevant in the region in the face of the rapid ageing pace of and migration flows that characterize the region. These demographic trends will entail increases in demand for care services, as well as the reconfiguration of roles in global care chains.
What About Recognizing Caregiving Knowledge?
Caring for others demands diverse knowledge, skills, and abilities of varying complexity. A technical and professional approach to caregiving roles can enhance care quality by setting standards, offering relevant training, and acknowledging caregivers’ expertise—most of whom are women. Recognizing their knowledge and experience is essential for elevating care work and creating better-quality career pathways in the labor market.
Boosting the economic development of Latin America and the Caribbean includes solving the challenges associated with the organization of care. This requires ensuring a holistic approach to care from early childhood onwards, promoting co-responsibility in care throughout the life cycle and valuing care work. Only in this way will the burden of care cease to be a barrier to women achieving true equality in work and society.
If you want to know more about how investing in early childhood reduces inequalities and boosts development, we invite you to read our infographic on early child development by clicking here.
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