Women’s empowerment in the context of the care economy (WE Care) - Supporting women-led care cooperatives to change perceptions and policy in the care sector.

This RBSA-funded intervention aims to structure a response to care work needs in Lebanon and paves the way to professionalise the sector through greater formalisation and regulation of care services, by exploring cooperatives and social enterprises as entry points. It seeks to address structural challenges that keep the responsibility for care within households on women and expose home-based care workers, who operate outside state regulation or protection, to significant vulnerability. The intervention targets home-based care workers in Bourj Hammoud and Ghobeiry. Through this intervention, the ILO supports the Ministry of Labour to engage on a policy discussion around gender inequality in the household through unpaid care, informed by evidence-based research and a bottom-up approach that benefits workers. The intervention builds on an ongoing initiative by the Ministry of Labour that promotes job matching in home-based care using digital platforms and by collaborating with workers’ and employers’ organizations. The expected results of the intervention include improved representation for female care workers; improved perceptions leading to improved laws, policies, practices and systems for decent work for female care workers; and increased collaboration and accountability amongst key actors in the care economy, particularly around complaint mechanisms related to home-based care workers.

Project symbol

LBN/23/01/RBS

Admin unit

RO-Arab States/DWT-Beirut

Start date

01/02/2023

End date

30/09/2025

Total allocation

606713

Total expenditure

Status

Active

606713

Development Partners

Core voluntary funds (RBSA)

Country/Countries

Lebanon

Outcomes

Outcome 5: Gender equality and equality of treatment and opportunities for all