Annex 31 highlights that the public sector will allocate more than 466,674 million pesos in search of consolidating a care system, this is an amount equivalent to 1.2% of GDP, and 4.6% of the total public budget, a percentage far from what the International Labor Organization (ILO) considers and recommends, Oxfam and the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO) refer.
What the International Labor Organization says, based on a public investment simulator that they have developed, is that a country like Mexico would require at least an additional annual investment of 3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Mariana Bello, coordinator of the Gender Justice Strategy at Oxfam.
“Reaching that 3% of GDP is equivalent, to give us an idea, to the entire budget currently allocated to Health in Mexico, that is the challenge,” added the Oxfam specialist.
According to the ILO, a care system is a set of public policies and services to recognize, reduce and redistribute care work, historically carried out on an unpaid basis, mainly by women. It includes actions such as paid leave, access to care services such as daycare, and social benefits to ensure the well-being of those who receive care (sick or elderly people, infants), and those who provide care (nurses, nannies).
“One of the main challenges of building a care system is that it costs a lot of money, and the fiscal space that finances have in Mexico is very limited, they are extremely tight. Yes, there may be some budgetary accommodations that give some financial slack to care actions. But it is a minimal effort, very small, and very limited in comparison to what is really needed, which does imply raising more and better in this country,” Bello added.
