It's important to discuss how societies can collectively reduce the difficulty, time and labour intensity of care activities and the isolation of care-givers, who are primarily women, while NOT reducing the amount of care for people and environment that is needed. Caring for people and the environment is fundamental, and more time, resources and support through public policies and services are needed so that this responsibility is shared and does not overburden, marginalise and subordinate women and girls. 

Redistribution, or the collective sharing of care, needs to happen not only within households but also across institutions such as communities, the private sector and states. These four institutions need to change roles, policies and practices regarding care, to enable the realisation of women’s rights and tackle gender inequality. Sharing care work will bring about a more just economy and the realisation of women’s rights.

Today, unpaid care work is done most by women and girls. They must be at the forefront of demanding change about how the difficulty of unpaid care work can be reduced, and how care work can be shared more equally. Caregivers, such as domestic workers or women caring for their own households, must speak for themselves about their experiences, interests and proposals for change. It is women living in poverty who have the highest responsibilities for unpaid care work, and are the most exploited and silenced. 

Participatory tools to support analysis of redistributing care work

• Household expenditure wallet - to explore how households earn and spend their income on goods and services related to care for people and the environment.
• Chapatti diagram - to explore power relations in the household using different sized circles (chapattis) to represent people, groups or organisation and the level of influence they have over others.
• Public services map - to explore the provision of public services in the community.

References

• Adapted from: Redistributing care work for gender equality and justice – a training curriculum, ActionAid, IDS & Oxfam, June 2015.