Video: Politicas de Cuidado. Politicas que Transforman

Care is not a women’s problem but a social problem that needs to be shared by men and women. This video emphasises the need to change attitudes, policies and services to ensure social co-responsibility around care work. Everybody needs to be cared for in order to live and society needs somebody to carry out such work. During the last decade, Latin American societies went through some important changes which question the traditional model of division of labour: for example, more women than ever have entered paid employment and whole families are relying on their income. However, the State, firms and men in general still rely on women to carry out most of the care work. The lack of adequate policies reconciling work, private and family life and adapting to these new realities are very costly. In order to achieve human development in the region, it is necessary that responsibility for care work is redistributed between the State, firms and families. Many suggestions can be put forward. For instance, care and domestic work must be valued. Men must be encouraged to participate in care activities. National legal frameworks must be modified to comply with international agreements. International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) conventions around sharing care responsibilities between men and women must be ratified. Accessible public care services must be offered. Gender discrimination in employment must be penalised and equal opportunities must be guaranteed. There are examples of good practice taken from across the region, for instance, childcare provision at the workplace, low cost school bus services, government subsidised care services, and paternal as well as maternal leave for new parents. The economic crisis is not a good excuse for not changing attitudes around care and sharing responsibilities. It is time to choose whether we want to live in traditional societies that are incapable of facing changes or in new models of society that put the people’s well-being at their centre. This video was developed by the Área Práctica of UNDP Regional Centre in collaboration with Fondo Fiduciario España-UNDP, AECID and UNIFEM. Other videos in the same series focus on women in politics and sexual and reproductive health public policies.

Summary adapted from source.