Women’s unpaid work would account for more than 40% of GDP

Unpaid or low-paid care work falls on women around the world. women and girls, who spend 2.5 more hours a day than men to that work, preventing them from fully exercising their rights and opportunities throughout life.

According to the United Nations agency that promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women, UN Womenin some countries The monetary value of women’s unpaid work would exceed 40% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In a statement on the occasion of International Day of Care and Support, UN Women specified that the most marginalized women, those who live in povertymigrants, those working in the informal sector and those from minority groups bear the majority of unpaid care work.

Likewise, he estimates that the 80% of paid domestic workers worldwide are women.

Human rights issue

“It is about a fundamental human rights issue and one of the main drivers of gender inequality and poverty,” said UN Women.

The agency highlighted the urgency for countries to address the serious disconnect between what is essential for societies and economies to thrive and what is prioritized in budgets and policies.

He added that Investing in comprehensive care systems means investing in women, communities, societies and economies.

Furthermore, he added, these investments can simultaneously reduce women’s time and income povertyimprove their participation in the labor market and increase the number of decent care jobs. Projections indicate that up to 300 million jobs could be created by 2035.

Advances in Latin America

UN Women recognized the progress in this area that has been achieved in recent years, among which it cited the recent approval of laws that establish national care systems in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Panama.

He also mentioned Kenya’s use of data from its first national time use survey to develop its national care policy.

The Philippine Caregivers Welfare Act, which upholds the rights of caregivers; the approval in Spain of a strategy for a new long-term care model in the community; and Canada’s work with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners to provide a high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care and early learning system are other advances highlighted by UN Women.

Bold steps based on human rights

But there is still much to do in the sphere of care work, which is why the UN entity called for the implementation bold and transformative measures for care systems based on human rights.

In addition, UN Women urged the promotion of care and support systems to boost social development, appealing to ending the undervalued and gender-based division of care work with the aim of building prosperous, equitable and sustainable economies and societies.