Dear reader friend, You have in your hands this issue of INFOR, which focuses on the care sector. By this we mean all the professions involved in education and healthcare, as well as care for people of all ages, from children to the elderly, often provided at home due to a lack of appropriate facilities. Worldwide, women perform more than three-quarters of unpaid care work, spending an average of 4 hours and 25 minutes per day, compared with 1 hour and 23 minutes for men.
The ILO estimates that 606 million women of working age are outside the labor market́ due to their care and «social reproduction» responsibilities. As the International Labor Organization reminds us in its report «Decent Work and the Care Economy» (112th Session, 2024): «Societies and economies depend on paid́ and unpaid́ care work to function and pursue their human, social and economic development. The provision of care depends on care workers».
Within our movements, we see the same overrepresentation of women in these professions. Through their presence and action, they play a significant role in reducing the isolation of people and in combating individualism.
The ACO de France, in a dossier dedicated to care, reminds us that «these professions correspond to real skills. Let us make sure they are recognized. It is also a question of dignity». The articles in this issue reflect the necessary struggle for rights, the difficulty of having a decent income in retirement without recognition of this unrecognized work. March 8, the International Day of Struggle for Women’s Rights, can be an excellent moment to pause and reflect together, men and women, on this issue, without forgetting that it is a daily commitment, 365 days a year. We are counting on you to help spread the word about our magazine within our various movements.
We look forward to hearing your reactions and reading about the exchanges and actions it has helped to set in motion. It is thanks to you that our daily struggle for «social justice in an economy for life» is written with gender equality in mind.
Christine Isturiz, WMCW Co-president
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