Women in Latin America and the Caribbean - Cepal

69
seeks to reform the constitution so that it enshrines women’s right to non-discriminatory treatment in job
applications and establishes the right of housewives to social security. 36
Box II.3
ECUADOR: “YOUR WORK MATTERS!” REORIENTING THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT BOND
The Government of Ecuador is refocusing its social protection policies. As part of this, it has made changes to the
Human Development Bond, which was created in 2003 as a system of direct transfers to mothers that were
conditional on children in the poor beneficiary households concerned staying on at school and undergoing health
check-ups. Mothers were recognized as the caregivers and the responsibility for meeting the programme conditions
and overseeing the use of these resources in the home fell upon them. The programme did not make any specific
provision for women’s participation in decision-making processes, their financial independence or their ability to
protect their rights and their children’s.
From now on these transfers will be recognized as a right, the aim being to focus them in a way that
acknowledges and values reproductive work. Consequently, the 995,000 women beneficiaries will receive the
payments unconditionally with the message “Your work matters!” In addition, the National Women’s Council
(CONAMU) successfully pressed for the incorporation into this programme of the initiative known as the Networks
of Social Service and Protection for Women in Poverty and Extreme Poverty. As time goes on, the networks will
allow the programme to link up with other social programmes and health services, such as public-sector microcredit
programmes, sexual and reproductive health services and nutrition and literacy programmes. These services will be
provided by networked public- and private-sector institutions that will implement a training plan centred on the
rights of women beneficiaries who live in deprived rural and urban areas and go once a month to the bank used to
make programme payments. The idea is thus to relaunch the Human Development Bond and enhance its ability to
generate progressive social and economic mobility and recognition for the reproductive work of women. Networks
have initially been set up in six of the country’s cantons during 2007, and the plan is that they should gradually be
extended further afield.
Source: National Women’s Council (CONAMU) of Ecuador, 2007, and Amparo Armas, “Redes e institucionalización en Ecuador.
Bono de Desarrollo Humano”, Mujer y desarrollo series, No. 76 (LC/L.2405-P), Santiago, Chile, Economic Commission
for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), 2005.
D. LEGAL PROVISIONS GOVERNING PAID DOMESTIC WORK
It was pointed out earlier that domestic work, unlike some other activities, enjoys social legitimacy
because it does not entail transgression of any cultural norm. Caring is a task for women, and serving one
for poor women. As a result, care and service are the normal working occupations of the female
population of the Latin America and Caribbean region. Discrimination against female domestic workers is
at once a cause and a consequence of discrimination against women generally.
Analysis of job creation by occupational category in 2004 shows that 10% of all new jobs were in
domestic service, a category that grew by almost 5% that year (see table II.2). Some analyses suggest that
rising employment in this sector is indicative of a recovery in the earnings of middle-income groups
(ECLAC, 2005), but also of a lack of job opportunities for women, especially those who are less educated
(Rico and Marco, 2006).
36
Report by the Government of Costa Rica to the subregional preparatory meeting for Mexico and Central
America for the tenth session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean,
Guatemala City, May 2007.