The sexual division of labor and the unfair social organization of care reinforce other structural challenges of gender inequality in the region and generate unfavorable conditions for women, who are overrepresented in the lowest income groups and who have the highest levels of exclusion from the labor market. In addition to the precariousness of women's living conditions, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the centrality of care in the functioning of economies and societies, while at the same time making it irrefutably clear how unsustainable and unjust its current organization is. It is therefore crucial to move towards a care society in which people, and those who care for them, are cared for, and which also considers inter-care, self-care and care for the planet.
These statements were shared at the Expert Group Meeting "Towards a Care Society in Latin America and the Caribbean", held on November 17, 2021, in a virtual format. This was the second meeting in a series in which care experts exchanged concepts on the care society and deepened the debate on the central elements of care policies, as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by the implementation of comprehensive care systems aimed at gender equality and co-responsibility in the region.
In the meeting the concept of care society was outlined, as well as its collective dimension, the interdependence it implies, social and gender co-responsibility, sustainability and solidarity in the financing of care. The experts also highlighted the link between caring for people and caring for the planet; dimensions that cannot be considered separately, but rather as intertwined.
The social, economic and health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the climate crisis, have highlighted the urgent need to transform social relations and society's relationship with nature towards paradigms centered on the notions of interdependence, care and sustainability. This confluence, the experts pointed out, constitutes an opportunity to change the dominant development style based on extractivism and the exploitation of life. This style, in addition to making invisible the relevance of care work in the provision of social welfare, also makes invisible the importance of preserving the environment, placing both spheres in a secondary or subsidiary position in relation to economic activities which considered to be of greater importance. However, both spheres produce value in the form of public goods at different scales (national, regional, global) and their realization is essential both for the sustainability of life and for the functioning of the market itself.
The conversation began with comments on the document "Theories of care as a challenge to Weberian paradigms in social science", by Joan Tronto, academic of the Department of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. Considering the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the academic pointed out the need to mainstream not only the gender perspective, but also the issue of care in all public policies. She argued that no public policy should be discussed or adopted without considering the implications of care. This session also included presentations by María Ángeles Durán, consultant and academic from the Centre for Human and Social Sciences (CCHS) of the Spanish National Research Council, and by Julio Bango and Patricia Cossani, UN Women consultants.
Based on the presentations and reflections, the experts discussed the scope of the care society, a universal social protection and welfare system, and how to think beyond the capitalist and neoliberal logic.
The relational nature of care was one of the key concepts of the meeting. Not only because it is collective and based on interdependence, but also because, based on their needs and capabilities, human beings build societies where they can receive care and provide care, because they are capable of doing so.
They noted the importance of considering care from a human rights perspective, as it means that it is not tied to civil legislation and that the State must guarantee it. Incorporating this approach in care systems also implies incorporating caregivers as part of the target population of these policies. State mechanisms for the advancement of women must be part of the institutional framework of care systems and have a leading role in the design and implementation of the policy to ensure a gender perspective is incorporated at every stage.
The reflections and contributions of professionals from the Division for Gender Affairs also referred to the principles of public policy that make it possible to move towards a care society, and how to translate a need for care into a demand for care. Lucía Scuro, Social Affairs Officer, added that a comprehensive care system requires the State to go beyond the implementation of services and to advance in regulatory and training policies, along with the co-responsibility of men and women.
Care systems also require financial sustainability. They must also incorporate dimensions such as the physical and mental health of women caregivers, especially considering the impact that the pandemic may have had on women's overburden and demands in terms of family responsibilities. In this regard, it was stated that in order to transform the current exclusionary development model, it is necessary to leave behind the idea that economic gain is the only relevant factor. In addition to considering how much care costs in monetary terms, public policy must consider how much it costs women in terms of their own well-being and time resources.
Measuring the use of time was therefore another key issue raised at the meeting. Incorporating gender indicators in the measurement of the quality of services is fundamental to transforming the vision of the social organization of care.
The meeting was concluded by Ana Güezmes García, Chief of ECLAC's Division for Gender Affairs, who spoke about the horizon towards a style of development that places care and the sustainability of life at the center. "It is necessary to advance in public policies and comprehensive care systems that are transformative from a perspective of gender equality, articulated with the dimension of sustainability of life at the center," she said.
This meeting of experts, as well as the next ones to be held throughout the year, are part of the reflections and debates in preparation for the XV Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, which will be held the first week of November in Argentina and whose theme will be "The care society: a horizon for a sustainable recovery with gender equality".
Links to the documents presented and/or mentioned
“Theories of care as a challenge to Weberian paradigms in social science” by Joan Tronto, as an input for the meeting
“Towards a care society: The contributions of the Regional Gender Agenda to sustainable development”, prepared by ECLAC.
“Towards the construction of Comprehensive Care Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean. Elements for Implementation”, study prepared jointly by the UN Women Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean and ECLAC.
