The International Labour Organization (ILO) has released a new technical note emphasizing the critical role of cooperatives and the social and solidarity economy (SSE) in transforming care work across Latin America and the Caribbean. Published on October 29, 2025, to mark the International Day of Care and Support, the note highlights how cooperatives can help close gender gaps and improve working conditions in the care sector. Titled “Caring from the Territory: Experiences of Cooperatives and SSE Entities in Latin America”, the publication draws on experiences from Bolivia, Colombia, and Honduras under the ILO’s Care.Coop methodology, which promotes community-based care services through participatory and gender-responsive approaches rooted in SSE principles.
The report sheds light on the region’s deep gender disparities in unpaid care work, revealing that women spend nearly three times more time than men on domestic and care tasks. This imbalance affects women’s health, limits their participation in the formal labor market, and reduces their income and social protection. With an aging population, limited public services, and regional inequalities increasing demand for care, many communities have developed local solutions, often carried out by women working under precarious conditions without contracts or benefits.
Cooperatives, according to the ILO, provide innovative and sustainable solutions to these challenges. They operate based on democratic decision-making, prioritize well-being over profit, and create fair and decent jobs with access to social protection. By strengthening women’s economic autonomy and promoting shared caregiving responsibility, cooperatives not only provide essential services but also help reduce structural inequalities and promote social justice.
The ILO’s Care.Coop model supports care sector transformation at three levels: the micro level by empowering local cooperatives and organizations; the meso level through building institutional partnerships; and the macro level by integrating cooperatives into national care systems. Tools like Think.CareCoop and Start.CareCoop help community organizations assess needs, plan, and formalize cooperative care initiatives sustainably and inclusively.
Pilot projects in Bolivia, Colombia, and Honduras demonstrate the model’s impact. In Bolivia’s El Alto, a digital care services map improved community access, while indigenous-led initiatives were strengthened. In Colombia’s Chocó and Cesar regions, partnerships led to the creation of the first midwifery and ancestral care houses. Meanwhile, in Honduras, the establishment of a municipal care model and the country’s first domestic and care workers’ cooperative marked significant progress.
The ILO reiterates that recognizing care work as legitimate labor is essential for achieving gender equality and sustainable development. Building on the 2024 International Labour Conference’s recognition of care work as a cornerstone of the global economy, the organization urges governments to integrate cooperatives and SSE entities into national care systems. This integration, it notes, is vital for ensuring quality services, decent jobs, and a fairer, more inclusive society.
