Based on an ILO legal survey of 185 countries, the report shows the progress made around the world over the past decade, even if a lack of protection and support for workers with family responsibilities persists.

The report also underlines that investing in care policies can generate decent work in care sectors, strengthen social protection systems, and close long-standing gender gaps exacerbated by the pandemic.

The main message of the report is that “there will be no full, gender-equal, sustainable and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic without serious investments in transformative care policy packages”.

The main outcomes and recommendations from the study are the following:

1. Maternity leave is a universal human and labour right, and yet it remains unfulfilled;
2. Paternity leave is key to enabling men’s care rights and responsibilities;
3. Parental leave and other special care leave can also help balance the work and family responsibilities of mothers and fathers over their life course;
4. The workplace is an important entry point to promote safety and health and save lives;
5. Breastfeeding-friendly workplaces provide time, income security and space to enable positive nutrition and health outcomes;
6. Childcare services are vital to child development, women’s employment and job creation;
7. Long-term care services are essential to ensure the right to healthy ageing in dignity and independent living;
8. The way forward is investing in transformative care policy packages.  

The report shows that there is a strong need to achieve universal access to transformative care policies for all workers with family responsibilities all over the world.

Investing in care is a central issue at a global level: from the ILO Declaration for the Future of Work to the Global call to action for a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient.

It should be a common commitment, through national social dialogue, by governments, employers and workers and their representative organizations, the private sector, civil society, UN agencies and other relevant stakeholders.

Tripartism and social dialogue are fundamental elements to build a better and more gender- equal world of work.