Unpaid Work and the Distribution of Care in Old Age

An Analysis of Gender Boundaries in the Market–Family–State Triad

Abstract

This study analyzes the economic value of unpaid care work directed at people aged 60 and over in Mexico, using microdata from the National Survey for the Care System (ENASIC 2022). From a quantitative and feminist economics perspective, the study estimates the number of older adults who require support in domestic and health-related activities, as well as the economic valuation of the hours of care provided to this population. Through a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), the results show that women bear the greatest burden of care work within households, evidencing the persistence of structural gender gaps. The study highlights the need to recognize this work as a central component of social well-being and to incorporate it into public policies aimed at protection and redistribution. It further argues that strengthening the national care system is essential to harness the demographic dividend without deepening inequalities. Finally, it proposes that gender boundaries in the market–family–state triad must be rethought from an ethic of co-responsibility, in which care is assumed as a social right and a condition for the sustainability of life.