Gender mainstreaming
Work and family: towards new forms of reconciliation with social co-responsibility
Work and family in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors:
; United Nations Development Programme
Publisher:
International Labour Organization , 2009
For most of the 20th century, productive and reproductive work were organised according to rigid gender roles that have become inappropriate in today’s world. As a result, the interplay between work and family – both central to people’s lives – has also changed, radically. This has brought enormous tension, at a high cost not only to women and those to whom they provide care (children, the elderly, and the handicapped), but also in terms of economic growth, the proper functioning of the labour market, and companies’ productivity. This report addresses the challenges posed by social inclusion and makes policy recommendations for the Latin America and the Caribbean regarding how to advance toward more decent work, from a human rights perspective.
The report starts by discussing the idea of decent work. Chapter 1 examines the international framework of guidelines and principles reflected in ILO standards, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW ) and the Millennium Development Goals. It also discusses the role of the state, employers’ and workers’ organisations, and civil society organisations.
Chapter 2 analyses the sweeping transformations that have brought a growing imbalance between work and family life examining how women’s rising labour force participation and changes in the organisation of work, family structures and social values have placed new demands on caregiving activities. Chapter 3 discusses the legal and policy frameworks governing the interaction between family and work and identifies important gaps and institutional weaknesses, where social and economic costs are high. It also considers how social security systems can address these tensions between work and family.
The report provides public policy proposals and recommendations for how different social actors can respond to promote a better balance between work and family life, incorporating a gender perspective. It stresses that, no single intervention will, on its own, be sufficient. It suggests that only by combining a wide range of measures will Latin America and the Caribbean be able to achieve co-responsibility for caregiving and through it, the full exercise of social and economic rights by both men and women, on equal terms. Recommendations are organised under the following:
- legal frameworks into line with international standards
- work needs to be organised to favour reconciliation and social co-responsibility
- making the most of the care sector’s potential for creating decent work
- improving social security’s ability to meet the need for care
- policies for migrant workers and their families
- social actors’ role in finding new answers
- foundations necessary for reconciling work and family through policies based on social co-responsibility.
