Transforming the care economy through impact investing – phase II
Programs and partnerships
Lead institution(s)
Summary
The care economy is the “hidden engine” of our economies, but it remains undervalued and unrecognized. Unpaid care and domestic work are primarily performed by women and girls, who also do most of the paid care work.Read more
The care economy is the “hidden engine” of our economies, but it remains undervalued and unrecognized. Unpaid care and domestic work are primarily performed by women and girls, who also do most of the paid care work. However, these are low-quality jobs, lacking social security, labour rights and protection. These inequalities are amplified by race, ethnicity, socio-economic and migration status. The unequal distribution of domestic and care work affects women's autonomy, limiting their labour market participation, education, training opportunities and free time. A lack of investment in care exacerbates gender, ethnic and racial injustice, deepening inequalities. At the same time, a lack of investment in care contributes to economic and climate injustice.
While public investment is urgently needed, care economy social enterprises, community-based organizations and care cooperatives in the Global South are already generating care products and services to address these challenges. An earlier research project mapped over 160 businesses, profiling 60 business models and developing 20 case studies, providing critical insights for investors and businesses.
This new project will develop meta-analysis across the business profiles and case studies. Working closely with grassroots organizations and cooperatives in the sector, it will develop specific reports analyzing what works across business models that recognize and reward, redistribute and reduce care work. It will also synthesize data around the pathways to impact, responding to how care economy businesses are transforming the lives of women. Finally, a third meta-analysis will look at how investing in the care economy is a gender and climate win. The project will also pilot new action research on care economy cooperatives and community caregiving. Finally, this project will develop synthesis and strategic positioning activities to further amplify the project’s reach to move from awareness to action.