According to the latest time use surveys, women in Latin America and the Caribbean spend between 22.1 and 43.6 hours per week on unpaid work, while men spend between 8.3 and 22.5 hours (ECLAC, 2019).
For the ILO, the way forward is to invest in transformative care policies that recognize, redistribute, and remunerate this work as a pillar of economic and social development.
In this context, in Paraguay, with the support of USAID through the initiative Mujeres Transformadoras, we implemented an innovative strategy of Self-Managed Care Spaces.
The goal is for women participating in Savings and Investment Groups (SIGs) to manage their own childcare facilities, where children up to eight years old can be looked after while their mothers work, study, or engage in other activities.
The Impact
- Communities strengthen their resilience by organizing collectively to protect children.
- Community solutions are emerging that promote greater equity and solidarity.
- Local economic development is promoted by mobilizing own resources and generating new income.
In Colombia
With support from Co-Impact, we designed and implemented an innovative program of Gradation to Employment program in Cartagena, Santa Marta, and Barranquilla, to connect 300 women, mostly heads of households, with formal jobs.
The aim was not only to support them in their job search, but also to eliminate the structural and gender barriers that hinder access to decent and stable jobs.
Accessing formal employment does not just mean securing a job vacancy. It involves facing invisible obstacles: the burden of unpaid care work, the cultural stigma of leaving children in the care of others, the costs of transportation and clothing, long commutes, and limited connectivity.
To address these challenges, we integrated targeted cash transfers that helped alleviate critical issues:
- Financial support to cover transportation and job search expenses.
- Childcare incentive to facilitate the transition to formal employment.
- Transfer for digital connectivity, which enabled access to work platforms and tools.
Even so, money was not the only barrier. Many participants—especially those who had been out of the labor market for years—faced emotional challenges such as low self-esteem, fear of failure, or the perception that formal employment was beyond their reach.
Building self-confidence was as important as any technical training. For these women, formal employment was not just an economic change: it was a personal transformation.
Inclusive employment
Creating inclusive employment for women living in poverty requires more than just facilitating access to job vacancies. It requires rethinking how we design, implement, and sustain support.
- Address invisible and structural barriers, including caregiving responsibilities, safety, and social norms.
- Involve the private sector from the outset, not only for hiring purposes, but also to co-create learning opportunities and solutions.
- Invest in digital tools and artificial intelligence that expand access and strengthen women's autonomy in their search for formal employment.
Bridging the gap, opening opportunities
Each story of transformation shows that it is possible to promote inclusion in people's everyday lives. When safe spaces are created for caring, learning, and working, women don't just participate: they lead change, and when they advance, their communities advance too.
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