The Care Economy Knowledge Hub
Stimulating growth and investment in market-based solutions
In Latin America, Asia and Africa, women spend between three to five times as many hours on unpaid care and domestic work than men, performing 80 percent of the total hours devoted to unpaid care work in the household.
We believe that innovative market-based solutions to recognize, reward, reduce and redistribute care activities exist, and are increasing. These include the provision of affordable, high-quality child care to underserved communities, workplace solutions for childcare, solutions that improve labour conditions for care economy workers, and time- and labour-saving innovations and technology.
However, there is a clear knowledge gap preventing private investment into these businesses, and preventing their growth and replication.
What is the care economy?
The care economy consists of the paid and unpaid labor and services that support caregiving in all its forms.
Domestic chores such as cooking, washing, cleaning, collecting water or fuel, or taking care of family members, including children, the elderly, those who are ill or who have disabilities. This work is usually invisible, undervalued and unpaid.
Work outside of the home:
Paid work taking care of persons or households not in one’s direct family. This includes domestic work, child and elder care, and care for those who are ill or who have disabilities. This work is often undervalued and underpaid, without a fair work framework in place (eg. lack of contract, workers rights, paid leaves, etc).
It is feminized:
Unpaid care and domestic work responsibilities fall disproportionately on women and girls, especially in the global south.
Impact pathways:
Care economy businesses can help recognise, reduce, reward and redistribute care work in the following ways:
Recognize
Initiatives that increase visibility and recognition of paid and unpaid care and domestic activity as “productive” work that creates real value and contributes to economies and societies.
Reduce
Products and initiatives that reduce the time and burden of unpaid care and domestic work.
Reward
Products, services and initiatives that ensure that care and domestic workers are paid fairly and can progress in their careers, providing them with financial reward and security.
Redistribute
Services and initiatives that:
1) Redistribute care work from individuals to public and private sector entities, and
2) Redistribute care and domestic work within the household