Let’s Talk About Care: Mexico at the Forefront

^{Photo: UN Women Mexico}

Care sustains life. It is no longer a private matter. For many years, UN Women Mexico has supported the government in efforts to place the care agenda at the center of public policy, through the generation of data, statistics, and evidence, all the way to political advocacy.

For over 20 years, we have supported the development of Time Use Surveys and the Satellite Account, which made it possible to measure the contribution of care to the economy. These figures indicate that the total value of unpaid domestic and care work accounts for 26.3% (a higher proportion than in many key sectors of the economy, such as manufacturing). More recent tools include the National Survey for Care Systems (ENASIC), which identifies the demand for care in households and the people providing it. Women mainly carry out care work and are generally unrecognized and unpaid, as if it were an invisible subsidy to the economy. Tools now exist to recognize this work.

UN Women Mexico has contributed to this transformation of care by providing innovative tools for decision-making and citizens. These include cost studies for the expansion of care services, which demonstrate that care is not an expense but an investment. Another example is the Care Map, developed in collaboration with El Colegio de México, the Global Centre of Excellence on Gender Statistics, and the National Institute for Women (now the Secretariat for Women). In 2024, more than 21,000 people accessed information about care facilities and services through this tool, in addition to the Care Observatory. 

^{The Care Map in image. Photo: UN Women Mexico} 

Working at the local level is essential, and care is no exception. UN Women has provided technical assistance and support to local governments, such as in Monterrey, where evidence was generated on the supply and demand for care, the profile of caregivers, and local gender audits were conducted. As a result, the Municipal Care System Regulation and a strategy to progressively implement Care Districts were created. Additionally, shared responsibility and a life free of violence for women were promoted. These tools are replicable in other states and municipalities.

This work has been made possible thanks to collaboration with key partners committed to gender equality. The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) has been a strategic donor and a fundamental ally of UN Women Mexico, providing support to strengthen institutional capacities, promote social cohesion, and advance the recognition of care as a right, both nationally and locally, always from a perspective of equality and sustainable development.

UN Women has served as a bridge between government and civil society, which has been central and pioneering in the area of care. Civil society organizations were instrumental in defining ten essential aspects for building a care policy in Mexico, as outlined in the “National Care Policy Decalogue,” a highly relevant advocacy tool.

All of this has been translated into political advocacy, placing the care agenda in public policy. It is now one of the current government’s priorities and has been integrated as an objective of the newly launched National Development Plan: “Promote a Care Society.”

At the global level, UN Women Mexico, in collaboration with the Government of Mexico, launched the most significant platform on care issues: the Global Alliance for Care, which comprises over 300 members from national and local governments, civil society, trade associations, the philanthropic sector, international organizations, and academia.

UN Women’s vision is based on shared responsibility—not only between men and women, but also among the State (as the main guarantor of the right to care), the market, and society. Companies play a fundamental role, and UN Women Mexico has supported businesses in developing policies that promote shared responsibility in care. In collaboration with the Global Compact and within the framework of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), care practice communities were established for peer learning and the exchange of experiences. Tools such as the Guide for a Care-Responsible Private Sector were also created to support companies on this journey.

Care is work and must be recognized as one of the pillars of social security, just like health and education. We must move toward a “care society,” which implies changing how communities are organized. It is a new form of social organization. Building a comprehensive care system in Mexico is key to closing the gender gap and improving the quality of life for both caregivers and those receiving care. UN Women, as a leader in the care agenda, will continue to support this path to create a more just and inclusive society in our country.