October 29, 2024 – The International Labour Organization has released a new statistical brief that are estimates that 708 million women worldwide are outside the labour force because of unpaid care responsibilities. They derived from data from 125 countries and indicate that care responsibilities present the main barrier to women entering and staying in the labour force, while men are more likely to cite other personal reasons for being outside the labour force, such as education and health issues.
This brief was released on the occasion of the International Day of Care and Support. In light of such systemic gender-based inequalities, the ILO’s membership adopted the landmark Resolution concerning decent work and the care economy at the ILO’s International Labour Conference in June 2024. The Resolution is the first global tripartite agreement on the issue, paving the way for countries to tackle the challenges and harness the opportunities presented by the care economy. Adequate investment in care policies will be essential to tackle growing inequality and move towards greater social justice.