"Combining care work and youth issues leads to a change in the sexual division of labor."

Transcript of Karina Batthyány's column
in InfoCLACSO – October 2, 2024

In Cuba we have participated in the “V International Congress of Researchers on Youth”, where CLACSO has much to contribute and provide not only in academic matters but also in terms of public policy and participation of youth movements and organizations.

We have also fulfilled one of CLACSO's commitments by considering the Caribbean and Central America as priority regions. Following the congress, our Steering Committee will meet at the University of Havana, Cuba, and then proceed to the forum "Social Movements and Activism in Latin America and the Caribbean."

Our activities have been developed within the framework of dialogues, panels, training instances and the very active participation of the CLACSO Member Centers of Cuba and their representative María Isabel Domínguez.

In addition, we have themes related to childhood and youth today and the slogan "The future is now," which raises questions about how we can effectively implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations. We also have a theme that is relevant throughout Latin America and the Caribbean: building a care society. Care is a central dimension for everyone's lives, but also for building a collective agenda that seeks greater equality, inclusion, and participation, including young people.

In this sense, the intersection of care work and youth issues leads us to a reshaping of the gendered division of labor. Today, we—girls, adolescents, young women, and adult women—bear the primary responsibility for domestic and caregiving tasks. This points to a profound social and gender injustice, limiting our participation in other aspects of social life.

Currently, this proposal for a care society is very powerful, but we have to make it for everyone throughout all stages of life cycles, including, as a priority, children, adolescents and young people.

Regarding the forum “Social Movements and Activism in Latin America and the Caribbean,” this theme aligns with one of our Platforms for Social Dialogue (PDS). We aim to discuss the role of social movements and activism in our region within the framework of the social transformation agenda. In this sense, Cuba is a valuable location for debate, given the representation of its social movements and organizations, youth groups, the feminist movement, the environmental movement, and human rights organizations in social construction and transformation.

The objective of these forums and our Platforms for Social Dialogue is the articulation of knowledge, public policy and social movements and organizations linked to the geographical area of ​​the Caribbean region.