Care is essential—it's the second job that every worker has, with women shouldering far more than men. In countries like India, women’s care burden is up to 8 times greater than men’s. But care is also expensive, unaffordable for millions, and often hard to access. When available, quality is often below basic standards. The burden is heaviest on low and middle income households, with caregivers missing out on skill development & employment opportunities, adversely impacting health & well-being, economic & social mobility.

Care has traditionally been an invisible unrecognised economy driven by unpaid & underpaid care.
For those working in paid care—again, mostly women—wages are low, conditions are poor, and it’s a first choice for very few. The care worker crisis is real, affecting both emerging and developed economies. The care economy has the potential to create millions of good jobs, yet it remains in crisis with vacant positions, underpaid workers & poor working conditions.
Improving paid care supply and making it affordable, especially for low and middle income households, is critical for an equitable economy and healthier communities.

Addressing the care policy gap, recognizing its economic value, investing in the infrastructure required to deliver affordable paid care and remunerating care providers fairly is essential to fix the care crisis and build a sustainable equitable care economy. .