Caring Societies: sharing care responsibilities to advance gender equality

This project seeks to advance gender equality in Colombia by improving the recognition redistribution and reduction of unpaid care work disproportionally shouldered by women which has been exacerbated during the pandemic. The project will: i) strengthen Colombian government capacities to design and implement a comprehensive set of policies programmes and services to guarantee the rights of those providing and requiring care with an institutional framework to respond and the capacity to produce and use data related to the care economy; ii) support Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Women Rights Organizations (WROs) in advocating for a participatory inclusive and accountable national and local care systems and participate in their design and implementation; iii) assist local governments in designing and implementing care solutions (e.g. care services for children people with disabilities and elderly; introducing time saving technologies) specific to their local context; iv) scale-up local initiatives in partnership with the private sector WROs and governments. The project would be funded by a combination of the Branch's reference levels ($3 million) and the Department's Strategic Priority Funds ($3 million) associated with the Prime Minister’s commitment on unpaid and paid care work.

1) Recognition: The unequal distribution and the value of paid and unpaid work is recognized and addressed by governments communities within households and by private sector actors. 2) Redistribution: The care work load is better distributed across public and private sectors and within the household; and 3) Reduction: Women’s unpaid care work responsibilities are reduced to increase their autonomy and agency.