The Provision of Care in Bolivia: Gender Inequalities and Female Overload

Abstract

This paper analyzes the social organization of care in Bolivia, inquiring about its relationship with women’s unpaid working time. Through the analysis of official statistics and a state-of-the- art review, we offer a general outlook of gender inequalities in the social division of these tasks in rural and urban Bolivian areas. In addition, we also examine the current legal frameworks and social protection policies promoted in the country. Our findings show that, in the last two decades, there have been legal advances in Bolivia promoting the understanding of care as a social right, whose responsibility should equitably involve men and women of the family, the society, the market and the State. Despite this, Bolivian women continue to assume the costs of care and experience high levels of overload and insecure working conditions.