On this International Women’s Day, the International employment Organization has produced a policy brief in which it calls on governments, as well as organizations representing employers and employees to ensure that domestic workers have social protection and employment rights.
From global care crisis to quality at home, the case for including domestic workers in care policies and ensuring their rights at work is the headline of the policy brief according to The Times.
The brief discusses the growing demand for paid care throughout the world, which is made worse by ageing populations and major unmet care requirements.
It makes the case that domestic workers are essential to the care ecosystem whether they work for homes directly or through service providers.
At least 25% of all paid care workers are even those who work for households; in nations with lower levels of investment in the care industry, this percentage is greater.
Due to the widespread labour shortage, improving women’s involvement in the workforce depends on the provision of high-quality care services, which calls for respectable working conditions for care tasks, including household labour.
According to ILO data, women account for 75.6 million of the world’s domestic workers, highlighting the critical role that women’s rights play in attaining gender equality.
However, access to care services for themselves and their families, including childcare and maternity protection is frequently denied to domestic workers, as well as workplace rights and social protection.
For people who are subjected to prejudice because of their origin, ethnicity, or migrant status, these deficiencies are particularly severe.
Consequently, the policy brief strongly advocates for the inclusion of domestic workers in national care and social security programs, highlighting the necessity .
Because people are living longer, there will likely be a large need for domestic workers and care as demand for these services is expected to rise.
According to an ILO estimate, the population is predicted to increase to 300 million by 2030. If investment keeps up with demand, the rise of the care economy might lead to the creation of jobs and a reduction in gender disparities.
