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Some countries, particularly in Latin America, haverecently bucked the trend of rising inequalities. 28They have shown that it is possible, with the rightmix of economic and social policies, to createdecent employment that supports the realization ofwomen’s rights to work and rights at work (see Box2.2).Policy makers are also beginning to recognizethe major constraints that women’s unpaid careand domestic work places on their labour marketparticipation—constraints that are exacerbated byageing populations and cuts in social services. 29Addressing them requires more than workplacecrèches and tinkering with fiscal policies. As longas labour markets continue to operate based onexpectations of uninterrupted, life-long and fulltimeemployment, those who carry out the bulkof unpaid care and domestic work will inevitablybe penalized. Nothing less than a fundamentalrethink of how paid employment and unpaid careand domestic work are organized is required.Responsibilities for unpaid care and domesticwork need to be more evenly distributed betweenwomen and men, and between households andsociety.BOX 2.2The role of the state in generating decent work in BrazilBetween 2001 and 2009, 17 million new jobs were created in Brazil, of which more than 10 millionwere those where employees hold social security cards (Carteira de Trabalho). This representsa major turnaround from the 1990s, when unemployment doubled, informality rose sharply andreal wages declined. 30 It shows that the right government action can yield impressive results,even against a backdrop of increasing flexibility and vulnerability of employment in the globaleconomy.Women’s LFPR rose from 54 to 58 per cent between 2001 and 2009, and the proportion accessingjobs with social security cards increased from 30 to 35 per cent. 31 The doubling of the minimumwage in the 2000s has also had a significant impact on gender pay gaps. Between 1995 and2007, the gender pay gap declined from 38 to 29 per cent. Importantly, this narrowing of thegender gap has been achieved through increases in both women’s and men’s wages rather thanbecause men’s wages have fallen. 32Brazil’s achievements in creating decent jobs are the result of a package of economic andsocial policies. Macroeconomic policy aimed at inclusive growth has contributed to job creation.Investment in labour inspection, and the simplification of registration costs and tax administrationfor small and medium-sized firms, have promoted the formalization of jobs and enterprises. 33The rise in the real value of minimum wages has helped to reduce poverty and accounted for 66per cent of the decline in inequality during 2000–2008. Social protection policies have also hada major impact: a further 16 per cent of the drop in inequality was due to the increase in pensionbenefits and 12 per cent to the Bolsa Familia social welfare programme. 3473