Resources on Care Economy

  1. © ILO 2024

    Care economy

    Childcare allows an informal, working mother to care and support her family

    20 November 2023

    This is the life journey of Siti Riyanti, a working mother of two who has been able to support her family and take care of her sons with the support of a quality, affordable childcare service.

  2. © ILO 2024

    Care economy

    A company-based childcare service improves workers’ loyalty and productivity

    09 November 2023

    The ILO, together with its social partners, conducts a visit to Tunas Cinta childcare service in Mojokerto District in East Java to learn about challenges and opportunities in providing a greater access to childcare for Indonesian workers nationwide.

  3. ILOSTAT

    Why measuring unpaid domestic and care work matters

    27 October 2023

    Every day, more than 16 billion hours are devoted to unpaid domestic and care work around the world. As global populations age, these figures are set to rise, and quantifying unpaid domestic and care work is critical to understanding labour under-utilisation, employment trends, and gender-based inequalities.

  4. © Monty Rakusen/Cultura Creative 2024

    International Conference of Labour Statisticians

    Data: A common language for the world of work

    16 October 2023

    Without accurate data, labour market decisions cannot be taken says Rafael Diez de Medina, Chief Statistician and Director of the ILO Department of Statistics.

  5. © A. Guyot / ILO 2024

    Voices

    I am not a madman, I am an early childhood teacher

    06 September 2022

    Federico Trotta has overcome prejudice and stigma to become an early childhood teacher in Buenos Aires, Argentina – a profession that many believe is a “feminine” career.

  6. ILO InfoStory

    How to make decent work a reality for domestic workers

    16 June 2021

    Domestic workers provide essential services to millions of households around the world but many are not covered by legal or social protections. Explore the key findings of the new ILO report on Domestic workers in our latest interactive InfoStory.

  7. © Gloria Mbuya 2024

    Gender equality

    How to strengthen gender measures and data in the COVID-19 era

    01 March 2021

    The COVID-19 pandemic has hit sectors where women are over-represented the hardest: tourism, retail, the care economy. Yet the pandemic has also exposed data collection gaps that undermine our ability to craft effective policy responses.

  8. © Marcin Jozwiak 2024

    Work-life balance

    Working mothers squeezed out of labour force by COVID-19

    30 November 2020

    Families are making tough decisions about who keeps their paid job and who quits to provide the unpaid care needed at home during the COVID-19 crisis. Mainly it is women who are sacrificing their careers.

  9. © Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP 2024

    COVID-19: Protecting workers in the workplace

    Women health workers: Working relentlessly in hospitals and at home

    07 April 2020

    Women globally make up over 70 per cent of workers in health, including those working in care institutions. They are on the front line of the fight against COVID-19. As a result of the pandemic they are facing a double burden: longer shifts at work and additional care work at home.

  10. COVID-19: Stimulating the economy and employment

    Are there enough health workers?

    03 April 2020

    Countries’ capacities to recruit and retain health workers vary significantly across regions. This unequal distribution exacerbates inequities in access to health services.