Las políticas públicas de cuidado en Argentina

Abstract

This article aims to systematize the public care policies in existence at the time the elected government takes office in Argentina in 2019. In a context where care is put on the political agenda, we believe it is important to identify the policies that exist at the national level and to point out some keys to be taken into account when thinking about potential reforms, based on the understanding that the current social organization of care has severe consequences on women’s lives and their possibilities of exercising their rights. Likewise, we understand care as a vector for the reproduction of social and gender inequalities that must be addressed. In this context, we propose to distinguish analytically three major groups of care policies, according to which requirement they satisfy: time to care, money to care and care services. Thus, we survey the current legislation focusing on labor licenses and regulations, (conditional) income transfers and care services, with special emphasis on those related to children, due to the enormous influence that the amount of care requirements demanded at that stage of life has on women’s lives.