International Care Day is a global observance that highlights the critical role of care work, including caregiving for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. In Jordan, where care work is largely informal and undervalued, this day is an opportunity to address the challenges faced by social care workers and unpaid caregivers, as well as to propose solutions that can lead to more equitable social and economic outcomes.
The Global and Regional Context
The International Labour Organization (ILO), in its report Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work (2018), estimates a global shortfall of 60 million care jobs by 2030. The report also highlights that women perform over 75% of unpaid care work globally, often at the expense of their economic participation. This global imbalance is seen clearly in the MENA region, being Jordan no exception. In the Arab States, researchers have estimated that women perform 4.7 times more unpaid care work than men, which is the highest women-to men ratio in the world (2020). Consequently, women’s unpaid care responsibilities limit their opportunities to engage in the labor force.
The ILO emphasizes that care work is critical to the functioning of economies and societies, yet it remains one of the most undervalued and underpaid sectors. In Jordan, as in many other Arab and non-Arab countries, care work is often seen as a private responsibility, with little support from formal policies or public services. This perpetuates gender inequalities and limits economic growth by keeping women out of paid employment.
The Care Economy in Jordan
In Jordan, women carry out the bulk of unpaid care work, particularly in the household. This burden significantly contributes to the country's low female labor force participation rate, which hovers around 15%, one of the lowest in the world. The lack of affordable and accessible formal care services, such as daycare and eldercare facilities, forces many women to remain at home rather than pursue career opportunities.
The ILO’s regional findings for the MENA region underscore the challenges women face due to the unequal distribution of unpaid care work. The absence of robust care infrastructure and social safety nets in Jordan exacerbates this issue.
The Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) has been actively involved in promoting gender equality and advocating for women’s rights in the context of the care economy. As part of its mission to enhance social justice and human rights in Jordan and the wider MENA region, ARDD focuses on several key areas within the care economy:
1. Advocacy for Unpaid Care Work Recognition:
ARDD emphasizes the need for policy changes that recognize the economic value of unpaid care work, which is predominantly carried out by women. This includes raising awareness about the unequal distribution of care responsibilities and pushing for social and economic reforms to support women, particularly in rural and underserved communities. To advance in this mission, ARDD strategically utilizes its networks, such the Human and Economic Development Forum or Al Nahda Women Network, and actively engages in key regional fora, including the MENA Working Group on Care and the Inclusive Social Security Policy Forum.
2. Support for Vulnerable Caregivers:
ARDD works closely with women, and refugees who are often burdened with unpaid care responsibilities. By providing legal aid, psychosocial support, and training programs, ARDD helps empower these women to balance caregiving with opportunities for economic participation.
3. Research and Policy Recommendations:
ARDD conducts research on the care economy in Jordan and the MENA region to inform its advocacy and policy work.[1] The organization highlights the connection between women’s economic empowerment and the redistribution of care work within households and the wider economy. ARDD has called for state recognition of the economic value of unpaid care work. It has also advocated for state-supported care infrastructure—such as accessible childcare and eldercare facilities—to reduce the burden on women and enable greater female labor force participation.
ARDD’s efforts contribute to the ongoing dialogue around care work in Jordan, ensuring that caregiving is recognized not just as a social responsibility, but as a key economic activity deserving of policy support.
Reference:
ILO (2018). Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work.
[1] For further information, see ARDD. At the Center: Towards a Gender-Sensitive Agenda forSocial Protection in Jordan (August 2023); Maria del Mar Logroño Narbona & Jennifer Messieh. The right to social protection for persons with disabilities in the Middle East and North Africa (June 2023), ISSPF Working Paper Series Shifting the Paradigm Issue 09; ARDD, JNCW, and UN Women. Care matters: The value of women’s unpaid care work in Jordan (December 2021); ARDD, JNCW, and UN Women. Redistributing care work in Jordan: Enacting policy reforms (December 2021); ARDD, JNCW, and UN Women. Through women’s eyes: The socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on women in Jordan one year into the crisis (June 2021); ARDD. Barriers to balance: Overcoming obstacles to women’s economic participation in Jordan (April 2019); ARDD. You Have a Chance: Rethinking Women’s Economic Empowerment in Jordan (2018).
