Why care matters for social development

Also available at www.unrisd.org/publications/rpb9eCare work, both paid and unpaid, contributes to well-being, social development and economic growth. But the costs of providing care are unequally borne across gender and class. Women perform the bulk of unpaid care work across all economies and cultures, and despite its economic value, unpaid care work is not included in labour force surveys. Care is feminized and undervalued whether carried out in the market or the public sector. A policy environment that recognizes and values care as the bedrock of social and economic development has to respect and guarantee the rights and needs of both care-givers and care-receivers