“Care must be a global agenda as an exercise of rights”

In the InfoCLACSO of September 11, “Is care a human right?”, Laura Pautassi, Principal Investigator of the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) of Argentina, spoke with CLACSO.tv.

Regarding the progress in care work, the Doctor of Sociology and Political Theory explained: “There has been a very significant intellectual and academic output, where the initial effort focused on making it visible that care work is work. And that the gender order and the patriarchal structure were what determined whether it is paid or unpaid work. Unpaid work is that which has historically been the responsibility of women in the domestic sphere.”

Furthermore, she referred to her research: “We apply a methodology that is also part of a global consensus in terms of the 2015 and 2030 Agendas, which is the human rights approach. It uses a feminist perspective, which is that concept of approach, of permeating the perspective, permeating public interventions, mainstreaming. And where the possibility is built to review what was agreed upon in international pacts and treaties and see how this has translated into compliance. Because these are obligations that states have guaranteed in international pacts and treaties. And how that translates into their internal public policies, in judicial rulings, in regulations.”

“We have public policies, also stemming from this mandatory commitment that states have, which are assuming their obligations in this area. And on the other hand, profound setbacks, because we have political leadership classes that directly deny acquired rights or the relevance of this process. But what I want to emphasize more clearly is the possibility of this becoming a global agenda, in the sense that each of us can assume responsibility for exercising our rights, and that this becomes a construction of citizenship throughout the centuries,” she stated.

Interviewed by Gustavo Lema.