ILO Report: Social Dialogue Expands Care Rights and Boosts Gender Equality Across Latin America

The report underscores a stark reality: care responsibilities remain one of the biggest barriers to women’s participation in the labour market.

Social dialogue is emerging as a powerful tool to advance gender equality in the workplace across Latin America, with new evidence showing that collective bargaining and company-led initiatives are expanding care-related rights beyond legal minimum standards.

A new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Advancing gender equality through social dialogue: Innovative experiences in care and leave policies in Latin America, highlights how employers, workers, and governments are collaborating to reshape workplace policies in ways that support both families and economic productivity.

Care Economy at the Heart of Gender Inequality

The report underscores a stark reality: care responsibilities remain one of the biggest barriers to women’s participation in the labour market.

• 47% of women in Latin America and the Caribbean are outside the workforce due to care responsibilities

• Women spend up to 29 more hours per week than men on unpaid care work

• This amounts to over 8.4 billion hours of unpaid care work weekly across the region

These disparities not only limit women’s economic opportunities but also result in lost productivity, higher informality, and persistent income inequality.

Beyond Legal Minimums: How Social Dialogue Is Driving Change

Drawing on experiences from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Uruguay, the report finds that social dialogue mechanisms are enabling real, measurable improvements in workplace policies.

Through collective bargaining agreements and company practices, employers are introducing:

• Extended maternity and paternity leave beyond statutory requirements

• Strengthened parental leave schemes

• Workplace facilities such as lactation rooms

• Flexible working arrangements for employees with caregiving responsibilities

These measures are being implemented across large, medium, and small enterprises, demonstrating scalability even in contexts with limited formal bargaining coverage.

Economic Case for Care Policies

The report makes a strong economic argument: when care responsibilities fall disproportionately on women, labour markets lose talent and efficiency.

Many women are forced to:

• Accept precarious or informal jobs

• Interrupt their careers

• Earn lower wages over time

By contrast, companies that adopt care-friendly policies benefit from:

• Improved talent retention

• Higher employee productivity and engagement

• Stronger workforce stability

“Care is a need that exists throughout the life cycle. It is a right, a form of work that drives the economy, and a public good that generates broad social benefits,” said Ana Virginia Moreira Gomes, ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Women’s Leadership Strengthens Outcomes

The report also highlights that greater participation of women in trade unions, business leadership, and social dialogue processes leads to more durable and gender-responsive policy outcomes.

This reinforces the importance of inclusive governance structures in shaping equitable labour markets.

Role of Governments Remains Critical

While social dialogue is driving progress, the ILO emphasizes that state action remains essential.

Governments play a key role in:

• Establishing a universal floor of care-related rights

• Creating regulatory frameworks that encourage shared responsibility for care

• Supporting policies aligned with international labour standards

The report aligns with key global frameworks, including:

• ILO Convention No. 156 (Workers with Family Responsibilities)

• ILO Convention No. 183 (Maternity Protection)

• The 2024 Resolution on Decent Work and the Care Economy

A Three-Pillar Approach to Lasting Change

The findings show that meaningful progress occurs when three elements work together:

1. Regulatory frameworks (government policies)

2. Collective bargaining (social dialogue)

3. Business practices (company-level initiatives)

This integrated approach helps ensure that care responsibilities are more equitably shared, enabling women to access decent work on equal terms with men.

A Path Toward Inclusive Labour Markets

Despite challenges such as informality and limited bargaining coverage, the report finds clear opportunities to expand care-related rights progressively.

“We are observing that even in contexts of informality, there are real opportunities for expanding rights through social dialogue,” said Paz Arancibia, ILO Senior Specialist on Gender Equality.

Looking Ahead

As countries across Latin America grapple with persistent gender gaps, the report positions social dialogue as a practical, scalable solution to bridge inequalities while strengthening economies.

By recognizing care as both a social necessity and an economic driver, policymakers and businesses can unlock more inclusive growth—ensuring that labour markets work for everyone.