The world stands at a historic crossroads. Global economies can either continue sidelining the $11 trillion worth of unpaid care work that sustains societies or choose to invest in it as the foundation of inclusive growth, job creation, and long-term economic resilience.
This was the urgent call issued by Dr Basani Baloyi, Programme Director at the Institute for Economic Justice, at the Third Technical Meeting of the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group (EWWG) underway at the Skukuza Conference Centre in Mpumalanga.
“The care economy is not a woman’s issue. It’s an economic imperative. It’s not a burden to be managed. It’s an opportunity to be seized. It is not a cost to be minimised. It’s an investment that will transform societies,” Baloyi said on Wednesday.
Her remarks drove home the message that investing in the care economy has far-reaching, proven returns. In Canada, a $10-per-day childcare programme created over 40 000 new jobs in the early childhood care sector, while expanding women’s participation in the workforce.
In Nordic countries, decades of investment in comprehensive care systems have led to some of the world’s highest levels of gender equality and economic competitiveness.
“With our collective economic power, our diverse experiences and our shared commitment to sustainable development, the G20 has an unprecedented opportunity to scale these successes globally,” Baloyi said.
Framing the conversation around care as central to economic and social planning, Baloyi said this is the moment to shift from a model where care is invisible and undervalued, to one where it is measured, invested in, and integrated into policy design.
“We have the evidence from Brazil’s groundbreaking National Caregiving Policy. We have the framework from South Africa’s comprehensive approach to women’s economic empowerment. What we need now is the collective will to act,” she said.
Throughout her keynote, Baloyi painted a vivid picture of care work’s current invisibility, and the toll it takes on women’s economic lives.
“Picture this. It’s 3am and Maria, a nurse in São Paulo, finishes her shift caring for kids. She drives home not to rest, but to care for her mother and prepare breakfast for her children before they wake up.”
She said similar stories echoed across the globe. “Nomsa in Johannesburg juggles a teaching job and caring for a disabled sibling, and Sarah in Chicago reduces her engineering hours to care for her ailing father.”
Baloyi said these are the women whose sacrifices are excluded from GDP, undervalued in policy, and absent in economic planning.
“What they call love, we call unpaid work,” Baloyi quoted philosopher Silvia Federici.
Globally, she explained that unpaid care work by women amounts to 9% of global GDP – equivalent to $11 trillion. In Brazil alone, it’s estimated that women subsidise the economy by at least $10.8 trillion annually. Yet, this work remains uncounted, unrecognised and unsupported.
“We measure the production of cars and computers, but not the production of healthy, educated, capable human beings, who drive those cars and operate those computers,” she said.
This invisibility, Baloyi warned, has profound economic consequences, reinforcing gender roles, excluding millions of women from the labour market, and weakening economic resilience.
However, Brazil’s pioneering move in 2024 to introduce a National Caregiving Policy – a collaborative effort across 20 ministries, municipalities and academia – signals a turning point.
South Africa’s G20 Presidency builds on this foundation, with three key priorities that will shape the future of care economies globally.
“These priorities recognise that care economy transformation requires addressing the full spectrum of challenges that women face. What makes this moment extraordinary is not just the ambition, but the methodology.
“South Africa is facilitating policy discourse and collaboration based on evidence, based research across G20 countries, they are creating platforms for sharing cross-country experiences, learning from both successes and challenges, and developing context sensitive recommendations that respect the diversity of G20 nations, while advancing common goals,” she said.
The data, Baloyi explained, is on South Africa’s side. According to the World Economic Forum, a $1.3 trillion investment in social jobs, particularly in the care economy, would generate $3.1 trillion in GDP and create over 10 million jobs in the United States alone.
The International Labour Organisation projects that invest in childcare and long-term care could result in 203 million jobs globally by 2035.
“These aren’t just numbers. They represent millions of families lifted out of poverty, and millions of women able to participate fully in economic life,” Baloyi said.
She also urged G20 nations to adopt the ILO’s 5R Framework:
- Recognise care work in policy and planning.
- Reduce the burden through services and infrastructure.
- Redistribute responsibilities between genders and institutions.
- Represent care workers in decision-making.
- Reward care work with fair wages and social protections.
“Imagine Maria in São Paulo able to focus on her career, knowing her family is well cared for… Nomsa in Johannesburg receiving community support services… Sarah in Chicago returning to full-time work, thanks to elder care support… This is achievable policy implementation. When countries invest in care infrastructure, the ripple effects are profound,” she said.
Baloyi further told delegates that by 2030, over 2.3 billion adults will require care services. By 2050, 80% of the world’s elderly population will live in low- and middle-income countries, many lacking adequate care systems.
“We can either prepare for this demographic transition through strategic investment or allow it to become a crisis that overwhelms families and destabilises economies.
“The 708 million women worldwide, who are outside the labour force due to care responsibilities, are counting on us. The future generations, who will inherit the economic and social systems we build today, are counting on us,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
