U.S. Department of State - Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues’ Post

📢 Spotlight on ♀️ #Focusongender (#92) The United Nations General Assembly Assembly decided to proclaim 29 October as the new International Day for Care and Support, by adopting resolution A/77/L.81. The aim of this day is to raise awareness of the importance of social care, which unfortunately remains a sector that is often neglected and underestimated to this day. The resolution highlights the need to invest in a resilient and inclusive care economy and to develop strong and resilient care and support systems. The global care workforce comprises 249 million women and 132 million men. Women perform 76.2 per cent of the total amount of unpaid care work, 3.2 times more time than men. #womensrights #womenhelpingwomen #womensupportwomen #womenandgirls #women #care #workforce #unpaidcare #genderequality #genderinclusion #womenmatter

“Women will have achieved true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.” -- RBG Check-out this new Prosperity Now / Oxfam report on the price of unseen work and how it disproportionally affects women, most acutely women of color. Paid sick leave and universal family medical leave is needed NOW in this country. Affordable/accessible quality day-care and universal pre-K are other policies that the most prosperous country on the planet needs to implement. Do you think a 32-hour work week would help women and families juggle running the household. What other policies would help your family? #PaidSickLeave #4dayWorkWeek #FutureOfWork

💡Are we undervaluing women's unpaid care work? Unpaid care is one of the main reasons women don't enter and stay in the paid workforce. In 2020, it is estimated that 2 million women worldwide have left the labor force due to increased caregiving responsibilities at home. (Source: International Labour Organization) Discover the staggering statistics behind women's unpaid care work, its impact on our economy, and how we can strive towards a more #inclusive economy with #careentrepreneurship in the #careeconomy. 👇👇

Why we still need #WomensDay and much more! "Globally, women earned just 77 cents of each dollar earned by a man." I actually saw men on social media talking about how sick they were of seeing women being covered in the media. This is why it's still needed 👇 "No country in the world affords women the same opportunities as men in the workforce, according to a new report from the World Bank, which found the global gender gap was far wider than previously thought. Closing the gap could raise global gross domestic product by more than 20%... For the first time, the bank investigated the impact of childcare and safety policies on women’s participation in the labour market in 190 countries. It found that when these two factors were taken into account, women on average enjoyed just 64% of the legal protections men do, down from the previous estimate of 77%. Childcare and safety issues particularly affected women’s ability to work. Violence could physically prevent them from going to work, and childcare costs could make it prohibitive. ... Improving women’s health ‘could add at least $1tn a year to global economy’ While 95 countries enacted laws on equal pay, only 35 had measures in place to ensure the pay gap was addressed. " from an article in The Guardian

We live shorter lives, work more hours for less pay, are more likely to be an unpaid carer and more likely to live in #poverty. #WomenOfTheNorth Health Equity North released a report this week that highlights the significant inequalities faced by women living in the North. The report, ‘Women of the North: Inequality, Health and Work’, reveals that women in the North have shorter life expectancies, work longer hours for less pay, are more likely to take on unpaid care roles, and are more likely to experience poverty. These findings are deeply troubling, underscoring the harsh impacts of years of austerity, the cost-of-living crisis, the pandemic, and ongoing inequalities linked to where people are born and live. Women in the North contribute an astounding £10 billion in unpaid care to the UK economy annually. They are the backbone of the care sector, providing vital support. The report outlines a variety of evidence-based policy recommendations for central government, regional bodies, and the NHS. If enacted, these measures could significantly improve women’s health outcomes. Achieving this, however, will require collective effort and determination—it’s time for action. https://lnkd.in/enVNmgWb #HealthEquity #WomensHealth #Inequalities #HealthInequalities #workandhealth

According to the Centre for Progressive Policy, every year women in the UK provide 23.2bn hours of unpaid work, estimated to be worth £382bn. Men provide 9.7bn hours, estimated to be worth £160bn. Unpaid care work is a gendered issue that is exacerbating workplace inequality and slowing women’s economic emancipation. Read more about the impacts of caring responsibilities on women The Guardian👇 https://lnkd.in/ddxhfEc4 #ValueCaringEconomy

My commitment to feminist advocacy has long been centered on the recognition, visibility, and awareness for care work. It is imperative to acknowledge that women drive societal progress not solely through economic endeavors, but through addressing systemic inequalities and the burdens of unpaid labor, encompassing household management, caregiving responsibilities, and broader familial and community support roles. While International Women's Day on March 8th serves as a day to make visible our collective efforts, the struggle against these inequalities persists on a daily basis. Key areas of concern include addressing the disproportionate burden placed on single mothers, advocating for comprehensive legal protections and fair compensation for domestic workers, and challenging societal norms that perpetuate gender-based disparities in household labor distribution and labor in general. In the Mexican contex (but everywhere I'm this world), household care work is mostly undervalued and marginalized, characterized by low wages, precarious working conditions, and a lack of formal labor protections. This reality underscores the urgent need for legal reforms, workplace rights advocacy, and broader societal recognition of the vital contributions made by women working in care work (cleaning, caring, cooking, providing etc ..). As we continue our resistance, let us remain steadfast in our commitment to challenging the structural inequalities that perpetuate gender-based disparities in our society. Let us honor and amplify the voices of those who courageously navigate and resist the injustices inherent in our current social and economic systems. My biggest recognition to household care workers and those women who continue enacting care work for others under conditions of war. CareWork #UnpaidCareWork #Households #Inequalities #8M #IWD 💜💜💜💜💜💜💚💚💚💚💚💚

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👓☕📖 Weekend Reading: Women spend 3.2 times more time on unpaid care work than men and constitute the majority of the care workforce. Further, as 2024 #WomenBizLaw data shows, the average global WBL score for the Childcare Indicator is 47.6, suggesting that economies face challenges in enacting laws that provide affordable and quality childcare services. Keeping this in mind, investing in the #CareEconomy is crucial for #GenderEquality, economic growth and human development. Read this policy note by The World Bank’s Gender team to learn more about the need for affordable, quality care services to unleash women's potential & create jobs: https://lnkd.in/ebPzB478    #AccelerateEquality Photo: © Dominic Chavez/World Bank

The care gap exposes the uneven burden of caregiving responsibilities, predominantly in unpaid care work, shouldered disproportionately by women. This disparity permeates through various aspects of life, including the workplace, contributing to the gender wage gap. Recognizing and addressing this care gap is crucial, as the gender wage gap will persist, and women’s rights will not be fulfilled unless the gender gap in unpaid care and domestic work is recognized and closed.