In times of coronavirus, care work does not quarantine.
Corina Rodríguez Enríquez [1] , Virginia Alonso [2] and Gabriela Marzonetto [3]
The spread of COVID-19 and the declaration of a global pandemic have led governments worldwide to take measures of varying types, levels of stringency, and durations to address the health emergency. These actions include recommendations for preventive social isolation, which in some countries are mandatory and strictly enforced. To achieve this, in addition to the cancellation of mass events (sporting, cultural, and social), classes have been suspended at all educational levels, and, to varying degrees depending on the country, a significant portion of economic activity has been partially or completely halted.
In Argentina, the mandatory preventive social isolation measures, in effect since March 20, 2020, have led to the suspension of a large number of economic activities and the reduction of others (those considered essential) to a minimum level of operation. However, in this context of fear regarding the spread of infections and concern about the decline in production, caregiving activities have intensified. Neither the tasks performed in the public sphere nor those carried out within households have ceased. On the contrary, they are all on the front lines of confronting COVID-19 and mitigating the economic and social effects of the resulting crisis.
In the public sector, among the services declared essential during the emergency by the decree establishing mandatory social isolation are: human health; assistance to people with disabilities, the elderly, children, and adolescents; social services provided in school and community kitchens and soup kitchens; laundry services; and others. All of these activities share the characteristic of being highly feminized in their workforce and being among those carried out under the worst conditions and with the lowest wages.
Meanwhile, within households, in this context, there is an overload of domestic and reproductive tasks: maintaining the cleanliness of the house (which in a health crisis implies extreme hygiene); caring for and entertaining young children, caring for the elderly, since even those who were not dependent in other situations are now the most vulnerable population to the virus; ensuring the continuation of the educational processes of children and adolescents by acting as a co-teacher since it has been decided that they will continue the teaching-learning process virtually.
This is compounded by the tension in cases where paid work can continue through teleworking. In this regard, there is pressure on salaried workers to maintain production and productivity "at all costs," without consideration for increased caregiving responsibilities and the even greater difficulties in balancing both aspects of work.
Additionally, Covid-19 starkly exposes and exacerbates existing inequalities. On the one hand, social isolation itself becomes more difficult in precarious housing contexts, in low-income neighborhoods where the very notion of distance is hard to maintain, and where “staying home” can be riskier than not doing so. On the other hand, meeting care needs in materially precarious contexts is even more challenging and demands even more unpaid work. Furthermore, while many tasks that middle- and high-income households can handle virtually (shopping, errands, etc.), for the most vulnerable households it takes much longer, and often involves standing in long lines, putting their health and the health of other household members at risk.
Moreover, in vulnerable sectors of the population, whose monetary income depends largely on daily productive activities, the pressure on unpaid work is greater, as it is responsible for covering the income shortfall during the isolation period and the widening gap with living standards. This occurs even in cases where governments have responded with emergency cash transfer measures (such as the Emergency Family Income in Argentina), which are undoubtedly very important, but insufficient.
This situation is typical of an emergency, but it is also expected to continue due to the economic consequences not only of the pandemic itself, but also of the measures taken to address it. International organizations have made estimates of the effects on production at the global, regional, and national levels. Regarding global income, the latest report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has estimated a drop of around one trillion dollars compared to the 2020 projections, and this could reach two trillion dollars in a worst-case scenario. For its part, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has predicted that the region will be impacted in various ways: tourism, exports, supplies, commodity prices, and investment levels, with serious effects on GDP, employment, and poverty.
At the national level, it is understood that the economic implications will depend on the capacity of states to mitigate the damage to the well-being of their citizens. These implications will be directly linked to the package of measures implemented by governments and the effects on different sectors of the economy and population.
As we noted earlier, and as has been argued in the field of Feminist Economics, unpaid domestic and care work will play a central role in sustaining life and the functioning of the economy in this context. This is despite the fact that most countries continue to render this crucial contribution invisible in their national accounts. Taking the Argentine case, it is noteworthy that the definition of “essential” activities (those listed in Decree 297/2020) includes many whose economic value significantly increases GDP estimates, alongside others (such as care work) whose monetary contribution is systematically denied.
However, it is clear that the situation unleashed by COVID-19 has brought to the forefront the social and economic value and importance of something we had decidedly overlooked: the multifaceted importance of care for the sustainability of life in society. Given this situation, we hope that both the government and citizens will begin to recognize and prioritize those sectors of activity that generate well-being and quality of life. Likewise, now that we are at home—those of us who are not considered essential workers—it is important not only to acknowledge the daily work that women perform, but also to begin to democratize the burden of reproductive labor between men and women equally.
[1]Conicet – Ciepp. CLACSO Research Grant “The critical knots of gender inequalities in Latin America and the Caribbean”.
[2] Conicet – UNCuyo. CLACSO research grant “The critical knots of gender inequalities in Latin America and the Caribbean”.
[3] Conicet – Ciepp – UNCuyo. CLACSO research grant “The critical knots of gender inequalities in Latin America and the Caribbean”.
If you would like to receive more information about CLACSO's training programs:
[widget id=”custom_html-57″]
to our email lists.
