Study shows that the burden of care is heavier for black women, those living in rural areas and those with young children, with a lasting impact on employment
A study released on Tuesday (November 18, 2025) by the ILO (International Labor Organization) shows that Brazilian women dedicate, on average, 9.8 hours more per week than men to unpaid care activities.
The research, carried out with the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, was presented during the Care Academy, an international event promoted by the institutions.
The ILO defines unpaid care work as tasks carried out without payment, such as caring for children, the elderly or people with disabilities, in addition to domestic activities.
The data indicate that the burden is greater among black women, those living in rural areas and mothers after their first child – a group in which there is a greater dropout from the job market.
Read the research highlights:
- black women – dedicate up to 22.4 hours a week to care activities;
- women in rural areas – perform more than twice as many hours of care as men, with an average difference of 12.4 hours per week;
- after 1st child – 50% of women leave the job market within 2 years of birth; in the same period, men tend to increase their income.
Maternity and return to the market
According to the study, 10 years after the birth of their first child, women are 20% less likely to be employed compared to men. Among low-income families, the difference rises to 24%.
“The effects of motherhood are not limited to early childhood. They extend for a long period, even when children no longer require intensive care“says the document.
Public policies
The study cites measures to reduce inequality in the division of care, such as:
- expansion of maternity, paternity and parental leave;
- encouraging the equal use of these licenses between men and women;
- ratification of ILO Convention No. 156, which deals with the protection of workers with family responsibilities (currently being processed in Congress).
It also recommends creating public care services, offering tax incentives for companies that adopt extended parental leave and developing integrated policies that treat care as a social right, and not as an impediment to economic participation.
