Generation Equality Forum: GI-ESCR contributes to the discussion on rethinking unpaid care and domestic work
This Tuesday 8 June, GI-ESCR participated in the civil-society workshop on “Rethinking unpaid care and domestic work”, hosted by the youth organisations and CSO leads of the Action Coalition of the Generation Equality Forum on Economic Justice and Rights , as a kick-off discussion ahead of the Generation Equality Forum in Paris 30 June - 2 July. The event explored how unpaid care and domestic work impact women’s economic justice and gender equality, whilst starting to look into regional experiences and solutions together. It allowed to better understand how unpaid care and domestic work impacts women and girls, as well as to find innovative game-changing solutions to build an inclusive economy.
In the run-up to the Generation Equality Forum in Paris 30 June - 2 July, the Youth organisations and CSO leads of the Action Coalition of the Generation Equality Forum have been developing a joint manifesto on care with joint priorities built from discussions and consultations across the regions with civil society, feminist leaders, and youth.
This interactive workshop initiated the regional consultations and joint AC CSO and youth groups work on unpaid care and allowed to highlight how intersecting forms of discrimination (such as race, gender identity and disabilities) further disadvantage certain groups of women and girls engaged in unpaid work. It also looked at the linkages of care to other key topics, such as decent work, climate change, a just transition, women’s leadership, equitable access to quality public care and health services, as well as Building Forward from COVID-19 and working towards a just economy.
Alejandra Lozano, GI-ESCR’s Programme Officer on - Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, said at the workshop:
“Women’s and girls’ unpaid care work is one of the biggest structural barriers to women’s economic justice and the fulfilment of their rights. Over the last year, women’s inequitable care and domestic work has grown significantly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“ In the past four decades, the increasing privatisation of care and the reduction of public provision have made access to quality care services a question of privilege. The compound effects of the privatisation and commercialisation of care-related services has exacerbated structural condition of gender inequality.”
The key speakers of the event were:
Emanuela Pozzan, Senior Specialist, Gender Equality, ILO
Diane Ndarbawa, President, Manki Maroua
Alejandra Lozano, Programme Officer Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, ESCR
The workshop was introduced by Mareen Buschmann, Senior Adviser on Women’s Economic Justice at CARE International UK, and moderated by Marieke Koning, Policy Adviser at ITUC.