Prioritising Care, Powering Economies: A G20 Agenda for Inclusive Growth and Women’s Empowerment

This note was first published by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).

Care is central to human, social, economic and environmental development and essential for society to live, thrive and grow. The care economy—spanning education, childcare, support for people with disabilities and elder care, domestic work, and health and other social services—is described by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as comprising paid and unpaid care work, direct and indirect care, its provision within and outside the household, the people who provide and receive care, and the employers and institutions offering care. The ILO’s 5R Framework for Decent Care Work provides a comprehensive perspective on care: to recognize, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care work; reward paid care with decent work for care workers; and guarantee care workers’ representation, social dialogue, and collective bargaining. This framework must be supported, paired with an approach grounded in human rights, equality, and non-discrimination, where care is seen both as a universal right and as a public good. Such an approach emphasises co-responsibility across society, with the State as the duty-bearer; and through this, care and support systems become more inclusive and resilient, particularly in the face of global challenges such as climate change, humanitarian and economic crises, and pandemics.

The provision of care is currently distributed unequally along gender lines, with women providing the majority of paid and unpaid care work globally. Across G20 nations, women do twice as much unpaid care work compared to men, reflecting harmful and systemic gender norms, as well as the undervaluation of women’s work. And yet, the care economy provides a significant opportunity for inclusive growth and is necessary to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 3, 5, 8, and 10. Paid care work accounts for approximately 381 million jobs globally and is expected to generate almost 300 million additional jobs by 2035. Women make up about two-thirds of this workforce.

Developing a robust and inclusive care economy is a core requirement for an accessible and sustainable labour market. The G20 has acknowledged the care economy over the past decade, particularly in the context of the 2014 Brisbane Goal to reduce the gender labour force participation gap by 25 percent by 2025. However, progress has been slow, with only nine out of nineteen G20 nations reaching it, and more work is required to fully close gender gaps in every G20 country. To do so, the G20 must prioritise the care economy; this will advance gender equality and generate returns in job creation, labour force participation, productivity levels, human capital, and tax revenue, as well as reduce poverty and long-term social expenditure.

Read the full note here.