Every day, millions of families in Latin America and the Caribbean organize their lives around caregiving, whether for a young child, a person with disabilities who needs support, or an elderly person who depends on others. For a long time, public discourse focused almost exclusively on those receiving care. However, today the focus has shifted to the care partnership: well-being is no longer understood without also considering those who provide care—whether paid or unpaid—as an integral part of the equation. This dual perspective is not just a technical detail; it reshapes priorities, programs, and the allocation of public resources. 

Why Placing the Care Partnership at the Center Matters for Public Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean 

• Productivity and Fiscal Sustainability. In the region, unpaid domestic and care work accounts, on average, for 21.4% of gross domestic product (GDP), an economic contribution that is often overlooked in fiscal accounts. Formalizing and professionalizing these care services could boost tax revenue and improve productivity by fully integrating this human capital into the labor market. 

• Efficiency and Quality of Care. Psychosocial support and training programs for caregivers enhanced experiences for both caregivers and care recipients, while also reducing turnover and burnout among care workers. 

• Mental Health and Women’s Economic Autonomy. In Latin America, women perform, on average, three times more unpaid care work than men, which limits their labor participation and decreases both current and future earnings. The burden of care also affects the physical and emotional health of caregivers, who report higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Support services and social protection programs—such as respite care (temporary relief services, including home visits by health professionals to dependent older adults) and non-contributory pensions—can alleviate these burdens and facilitate women’s access to employment, training, and entrepreneurship opportunities. 

News on Care Policies 

1. Broadening the policy focus. Policies are no longer limited to supporting care recipients -children, dependent seniors, and people with disabilities- but recognize that caregivers well-being is a priority in itself and a key condition for quality care. 
2. Supporting the Caregiver: Respite and Relief Services. What was once marginal is now into the main menu. Respite services—time and activities that allow caregivers to rest, access healthcare, training, or wellness while someone else temporarily assume care responsibilities—are being expanded and integrated more systematically into public policy. 
3. Economic Recognition and Social Protection. Financial support and social protection programs such as transfer payments, subsidies, and pensions are increasingly recognized caregivers’ life trajectories, both paid and unpaid. Enhancing both contributory and non-contributory social protections is essential for reducing income gaps among women caregivers. The challenge remains to expand and sustain these benefits, but explicit focus on caregivers and the aging population is gaining ground in national policy redesigns. 
4. Professionalization of Care Work. Training caregivers is essential to ensure technical, relational, and self-care skills, prevent physical and emotional burnout, and guarantee quality care. However, 46% of caregivers of older adults in the region lack proper training, 20% have received less than 60 hours of instruction, and 63.3% have less than a nine-year formal education. Given this context, implementing a comprehensive approach that combines a structured curriculum and certification systems can elevate care to a recognized profession, strengthen competencies, and improve labor conditions for the care workforce. 

Evidence that Moves the Needle on Care 

Consensus is growing in the region on the need for comprehensive systems and national care policies. This approach encourages increased public investment and the definition of quality standards for the care sector through coordination among social, women’s, health, labor and finance Ministries. 

The goal goes beyond “helping families”; the aim is to position care as a profession and as a pillar of economic growth. Some examples of these initiatives include: 

• Chile: Relief services are part of the National Support and Care System, known as Chile Cuida. Additionally, the 2025 pension reform reduces the required years for women to access pension benefits related to unpaid care work and expands coverage for gaps in pension periods when contributions are interrupted due to unpaid care work 

• Colombia: Manzanas del Cuidado in Bogotá offer comprehensive programs that include education, health services, income-generation opportunities, psychosocial and legal counseling, and respite activities for caregivers—while also caring for their dependents. 

• Mexico: The Pensión Mujer Bienestar program provides income to women over 60 in recognition of lifelong unpaid care work. 

• Costa Rica: The country is making progress with money transfers for unpaid caregivers of older adults and the platform cuidar.cr , which connects supply and demand for paid care services with state support. 

Looking Ahead for Care Policy 

In 2025, the care agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean is advancing on three fronts: 

• Legal frameworks explicitly recognizing the need to address both dimensions of the care partnership. 

• Sustainable financing through general taxes, dedicated funds, and territorial co-financing mechanisms that prioritize proximity services, respite care programs, income support, and labor intermediation platforms for care services. 

• Improved quality and working conditions in the sector, including training, certification, and better wages for paid caregivers. 

The innovation is not simply adding “a program for caregivers” but reorganizing care systems and policies around the care partnership. In this way, care becomes more than a slogan. It becomes public infrastructure that supports both those who receive care and those who provide it.