Understanding the care economy in Southeast Asia

Key findings

What does the care economy look like in Southeast Asia? When it comes to looking after children, the elderly and disabled communities, who is doing the work and how is this labour valued, perceived and compensated? 

To answer these questions, we undertook a comprehensive overview of the care economy in three Southeast Asian countries: Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. The study examines care in each of these countries and identifies key research, policy, and practice gaps.

It focuses on... 

1. Defining the care economy in each of the countries assessed. 
2. Identifying the key focus areas and research findings from existing research 
3. Understanding forums where care is discussed (and how it is discussed), including who is doing what work in the region 
4. Identifying research, policy, and practice gaps. 

Key findings to emerge from research include... 

• Definitions of care and care systems remain under-developed, limiting the ability of countries to set policy and share common learnings. 
• Baseline mapping of care interventions and opportunities remains a key gap, including assessing effectiveness and experiences in the care economy. 
• Interventions that target structural and organisational impact provide the best opportunities for systemic gains – although they can require longer timelines and a more comprehensive, evidence-led approach. 
• Embedding intersectionality and a sensitivity for cultural and religious norms, and understanding of historical precedents, is critical. Culture and history have shaped the evolution of formal and informal care, leaving women with a disproportionate burden of care. Norms and attitudes such as filial piety, gender roles, and the division of labour may be effective policy intervention points - but research, policy and practice must lead intersectionally and be sensitive to context. 
• The disproportionate burden of care experienced by women in the three focus countries limits their ability to participate in the workforce, reinforcing the link between the status of the care economy and women’s status more broadly as a viable area for IW’s work.