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2025.10.29
Seoul
International Day of Care and Support
Selma von den Hoff
Every October 29th the International Day of Care and Support is celebrated. This day is to celebrate the Care workers and the care economy. It was only implemented in 2023 after the International Labor Organization adopted the Resolution concerning Decent Work and the Care economy. This declaration reflects the commitment to invest in the care economy to create robust, resilient and gender responsive, disability-inclusive and age-sensitive care and support systems with the full respect to human rights.
The importance of this day is highlighted by the fact that care work is undervalued and 76% of unpaid care work is performed by women. These contributions to health equate to 2.35% of global GDP or the equivalent of $1.5 trillion every year. So, if care work were to receive is value and actually be paid, not only would a lot of women gain higher equality, but also global development would rise. The differences in the care system can be for example seen in the difference of pay between doctors and nurses, even though nurses are the primary providers of hospital patient care. The underinvestment in health systems and the health and care workforce hinders the process to gender equality. With this, 67% of workers in healthcare are women and globally within this sector there is a 24% pay gap between women and their male peers. But also, invisible care labor is mainly done by women and this type of care is unpaid. For example, in Europe alone 32 million women provide care to a family member, friend or neighbor every week and replacing this care alone would take around 19.5 million full-time workers. Women often take this additional unpaid job on top of their paid labor.
The importance of care workers was especially highlighted during the global pandemic. During which over half of these workers faced burnout and other physical and mental health problems, but without them the crisis would have increased drastically. Here, not only did these workers face underpayment but also undersupply, maldistribution and more challenges. Therefore, this International Day is important as without care workers our society would not uphold. On this day we have to commit to changes in the way we see care work, fund it and the way it is organized for an improved equality, development and better health.
Written by Selma von den Hoff
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