ILO finds 708 Million Women Struggling to Enter Workforce Due to Care Responsibilities

On the occasion of the International Day of Care and Support, new ILO global estimates that an estimated 708 million women all across the world are outside the labour force. This is because of unpaid care responsibilities.

748 million people (aged 15 or older) in the year 2023, were not taking part in global labour force. That is because of care responsibilities that is being accounted for a 3rd of all working-age persons coming from the outside of labour force.

Director of the Conditions of Work and Equality Department Sukti Dasgupta stated, “Women shoulder a disproportionate share of care responsibilities, preventing their participation in the labour force due to factors such as low education levels, limited job opportunities, poor infrastructure, rural residence, and inadequate care and support systems. Additionally, societal expectations and norms around caregiving further restrict women’s labour market inclusion, and deepen gender inequalities.”

Chief Statistician and Director of the Department of Statistics Rafael Diez de Medina added, “These new ILO data expose important inequalities in the world of work due to unequal care responsibilities and highlight the power of data to improve our understanding of the care economy. The ILO has made decent work in the care economy a top priority and is working towards new statistical standards to improve care work data.”