Care and social development | Article by Roberto Velez and Monica Orozco

One system, one right, one policy. The new resolution of the Chamber of Deputies recognizes in the General Law of Social Development (LGDS) the right to care in conditions of dignity, quality and equality, along with other social rights such as health, education, social security and others. other. The reform of this law, which defines social rights and provides for aspects of poverty measurement, establishes the existence National care policy as an integral part of the National Social Development Policy. It further stipulates that the Policy encourages sharing of responsibilities between families, the private sector, civil society and the State, and specifies the criteria by which it will be assessed. It also explicitly includes INEGI among the organizations that make up the Intersecretariat Commission for Social Development, which helps to recognize the importance of statistics and the contribution of knowledge to the public policy process. This reform is part of the human rights and equal opportunities approach to social mobility that we need because it increases the likelihood that political messages that are very fashionable in times of electoral competition will become reality. But it is also essential that the care program is developed with full representation of women and populations with priority care needs in the discussions, development, monitoring and evaluation of the System and Policy.

At the Center Espinosa Iglesias Education (CEEY), we understand the care system as a clearly articulated and multi-purpose set of policies, programs and actions for the realization of the right to care (giving, receiving and caring for oneself). They are multipurpose because they both promote social mobility for those who need care and those who provide it, and because the fact that women, girls and adolescents are the main providers of care does not mean that we are not also exposed to care . The approved reform establishes that care work refers to all activities that support life: caring for the body, educating and training people, maintaining social connections, psychological support, emotional support for family members and maintaining the home space. and goods. According to research conducted by CEEY, the likelihood that women born at the bottom of the social ladder will escape poverty doubles when they have care and social protection services.

The path taken to implement this reform included dialogue between legislators, civil society and feminist organizations, which raised the need for a Caring Welfare State that equalizes opportunities and promotes social mobility for women. In recent years, the legislative work of this process has taken place in the Chamber of Deputies with technical support from national and international agencies. Among the various participants in these efforts, we must recognize the leadership of civil society groups and organizations that have been the main driving forces in building the care system from the very beginning until now. However, there are also public figures who did not justify this. Thanks to its visibility, the Chamber of Senators stands out among them, which, since 2020, owes us the discussion of the constitutional reform of articles 4 and 73, in addition to the convening of an open parliament. Also striking is the role of the federal government, which, rather than scaling up certain care-oriented programs, has turned them into gender-blind transfer schemes. The same is true for the Mexico City government, which, although it has had a constitutionally established trusteeship system for many years, has not advanced the agenda or solidified its role as a role model as it has historically done on other progressive issues.

During the election campaign, the issue of leaving became inevitable. We celebrate that this is so. However, to turn discourse into a system of help, first of all, we require that different candidates take the time to understand the problem in detail. From here, and with the confidence that they will identify the variety of benefits that a care policy entails, we will force them to overcome the innocuous and common idea of ​​​​creating a social program marked in the name of care, which, at worst, is a case of only a money transfer. To contribute to public debate in the context of the election campaign, CEEY will soon release a public policy note on this issue.

* Executive Director of CEEY. X: @robertovelezg

**Director of Gender and External Fellow at CEEY. X: @monicaeorosco