Latin American women provide essential unpaid care work

A study titled ‘Who Cares? How to support and recognize those who care for older people in Latin America and the Caribbean’ highlights the heavy burden of care work placed on women in the region. Conducted by the Inter-American Development Bank, the OECD, and the French Development Agency, the report identifies caregiving as an urgent economic and political issue.

Currently, approximately eight million people aged 65 or older in the region require assistance with daily activities. This number is projected to triple by 2050. As the population ages rapidly, existing social protection structures remain insufficient to meet the growing demand, leaving millions of women to manage caregiving responsibilities alongside formal employment.