Female Labor Insertion and Recognition of Unpaid Work by Care Policies in Spain and Portugal. A Comparative Study with Costa Rica and Uruguay

The article deals with care policies in southern Europe, particularly in Portugal and Spain, which have developed measures to assist the dependent population by complying with the European mandate. We presented a comparative analysis of the care policies of Spain and Portugal with those of Costa Rica and Uruguay, two Latin American countries with comprehensive care systems that encompass a broader population and services than in Europeans ones. Considering that measures adopted in the last years promote gender equality -by fostering co-responsibility in caring for and involving State, family, community and social agents-, we focus on changes that care policies have for women on: first, the familiarization of care and services that facilitate female integration into the labour market, and the outsourcing of care services in the second place. When care policies establish services and regularize care work, the work of women is formalized, either because her services are contracted by centres or houses; Or because by outsourcing care in these services, women can access the labour market without having full responsibility for the care of the dependent population. However, the persistent familiarization of care and its focus on socio-economic rather than gender equity is seen in the comparison of the countries studied. In conclusion, in Spain and Portugal care policies help to reconcile working and family life but do not integrate the gender perspective nor include men in care co-responsibility.