Implementing Care System Would Increase Women’s Employment
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Implementing Care System Would Increase Women’s Employment

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Anamary Olivas By Anamary Olivas | Journalist & Industry Analyst - Mon, 08/22/2022 - 10:58

Women carry out 73.3 percent of Mexico’s house and unpaid care work, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). The National Women’s Institute (INMUJERES) therefore proposes a care system that could diminish the gap in employability between men and women by at least 4 percent.

 

The government and companies should not leave the responsibility for these tasks in the hands of families, argues INMUJERES. Creating a national care system for infants under six years of age would require an investment of 1.6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but in return, 1.77 percent of GDP can be gained back. What is more, the female employment rate would increase by at least 4 percent, the institute calculated.

 

Since 2020, a constitutional reform has been under preparation to generate such a system. But its development stopped for nearly two years, despite the backing of feminist legislators. INMUJERES has been pushing to pass this proposal and make it a reality. "We have been working with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) to project the cost, which I prefer to call an investment, and the economic returns for the national care system. Caring is a job and benefits everyone, but it has been left almost entirely to the responsibility of women," Nadine Gasman Zylbermann, President, INMUJERES, said in an interview with El Economista.

 

According to INEGI, women contribute three times more economic value than men because of their domestic work and care activities, which nevertheless remains unpaid paid. Feminist economists have pointed out this issue for decades. Now that gender parity has become an issue on the Congressional agenda, the Chamber of Deputies approved a constitutional reform to recognize the right to receive care in 2020. The transitory articles indicate that after this modification, the Legislative Power must create laws for the national care system.

 

Companies and their leaders are increasingly aware of the gender gap in Mexico. In fact, most say that it is a priority to close this gap, but in practice companies keep women away from the top jobs. At the rate with which Mexican companies implement equality policies, it will take a century for women to access top-level management positions. A study conducted by McKinsey indicates that in 2018, 13.4 percent of managerial positions in the country were held by women. Programs like the one proposed by INMUJERES may help alleviate this problem.

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