Invest in care – a shared responsibility, a social imperative, and a driver of progress

Gendered social norms reinforce stereotypes of women as primary caregivers for children, the elderly and for support for persons with disabilities

• Potential to create 800,000 plus local jobs, and accelerate gender equality achievements

From households to national economies, care work – both paid and unpaid – keeps the world and the economy moving! 

Often framed as an act of love, a noble calling, a not so important sector, care work is frequently under-valued, unrecognised, not perceived as work nor economic activity. COVID-19 brought into sharp focus the crucial roles of caregivers and care workers, creating the momentum for the first UN International Day of Care and Support, observed on 29 October 2023. Unpaid household care workers and paid care workers in domestic work or in the care and health sector, are vital pillars of our societies and economies, yet these contributions are often dismissed.

Care Work = Women’s Work: Why does the world see it as such?

Gendered social norms reinforce stereotypes of women as primary caregivers for children, the elderly and for support for persons with disabilities. This narrative is used to justify the viewing of unpaid care as “women’s work”.

Globally, 606 million working-age women are outside the paid workforce compared to 43 million men because of care responsibilities. In Sri Lanka, despite high educational attainment, a staggering 73.5% of working-age women are excluded from the labour force, primarily due to caregiving responsibilities. This invisible labour eats into the time women spend engaging in paid work or other activities. Unpaid care work also has implications on women’s access to social protection and pensions. Those employed in paid jobs outside the home invariably have no option than to opt for part-time, and informal employment that accommodate their care duties. The gendered nature of care work is equally visible in the paid care sector, with women dominating frontline, essential and domestic work. Furthermore, paid care work predominantly sits within the informal economy, characterised by precariousness and lacking legal protection, decent wages, security and essential benefits.

Why should Sri Lanka care about the care economy?

With population increase, and shifting demographics, the demand for care is growing. According to ILO estimates, Sri Lanka could generate 876,000 care jobs by 2035, comprising 275,000 in childcare, 538,000 in long-term care and over 63,000 indirect jobs. 93% of these new jobs would be filled by women, and 95% would be in formal employment. This shift could increase women’s employment rates to 46.1%, while also narrowing the gender pay gap and providing an essential service to those in need of care and support. Additionally, investments in the care economy can support workers with family responsibilities, also encouraging a more equal division of care work between women and men. Moreover, every dollar invested in care package would generate a $ 7.76 GDP increase, making it both a social imperative but also a smart economic decision.

So what is the way forward?

The first international tripartite agreement on advancing decent work in the care economy was adopted by the International Labour Conference in 2024. To address the challenges of care deficits, care work must move from the shadows of private and family responsibility to recognising it as a public necessity. Care work is a policy matter. The development of nationally designed care policy packages, based on ILO’s 5-R Framework for Decent Care Work, will amplify the value of care work and ensure that those in need of care and support can access it. How can this take shape? Recognise, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care work; reward care workers by generating more and better-quality care work, including fair pay; elevate representation of unpaid care workers, paid care workers, and care recipients in social dialogue and decision making.

Recommendations for Sri Lanka include:

• Investing in publicly or collectively funded progressive care packages, that include childcare related paid leave (maternity, paternity, and parental leave), breast feeding breaks, early childhood care and education and long-term care services).
• Considering the country’s aging population, developing and improving existing care models, and exploring community-based care models.
• Developing the skills of care workers alongside standardised and recognised training to tackle dearth of trained care professionals, and bolster care quality.
• Focussing on decent working conditions for care workers, including fair wages and formalisation of care work through strengthening minimum wages and its effective implementation in the informal economy.

Care is a shared responsibility across private and public spheres. The Government has a key role in developing rights-based care policies and robust regulations, promoting lifelong learning, investments and ensuring high quality standards. Workers’ organisations are vital for strengthening social dialogue alongside advocating for decent work. Employers are instrumental in creating supportive workplace policies, programmes and care models.

As we mark the International Day of Care and Support, let us recognise our reliance on care workers, the intrinsic value of paid and unpaid care to society, and its essential role in personal, social, and economic gains. Failing to address care deficits and provide decent work to care workers risks a severe, unsustainable care crisis and lack of progress on closing gender inequalities. Care economy gains are crucial to social justice and sustainable development.

(The author is the director for the International Labour Organization Country Office for Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The International Labour Organization is the only Specialised Agency of the United Nations for the world of work, promoting decent work and social justice for all, through tripartite social dialogue and setting labour standards. On the care economy, the ILO provides technical support, policy guidance and programmes for the development of national care policies and systems, while also promoting decent work for care workers.)