Op-Ed by Kaori Ishikawa, UN Women Country Representative in Georgia and Liaison for the South Caucasus, on the occasion of the International Day for Care and Support
On this International Day for Care and Support, we honour the invisible work that holds our societies together — the care that nurtures children, sustains families, and supports the elderly and those with disabilities. This day is not just symbolic; it is a call to action. It reminds us that care is not charity, nor a private burden — it is the infrastructure of dignity, equality, and resilience. For Armenia, recognizing care as a public good is not only a moral imperative but an economic necessity.
When we think about what powers an economy, we often picture construction sites, technology parks, or bustling markets. Yet the real engine of progress beats quietly in Armenian homes, classrooms, and clinics. It is in the women who rise before dawn to prepare meals, care for children, tend to elderly parents, or support neighbors in need that the foundations of our economy are built. Care work is the backbone of families and communities, yet it remains largely invisible in official statistics, undervalued in public spending, and insufficiently recognised in public policy.
In Armenia, women shoulder nearly five times more unpaid care and domestic work than men – a reality that shapes their access to jobs, income, and long-term security1. Care is not just a private responsibility; it is a public good that supports development, equality, and social cohesion. When care is recognized as essential infrastructure - like transport or energy – its value shifts from invisible to indispensable.
Research shows that investing in care services such as childcare, eldercare, and support for persons with disabilities is not only a matter of justice, but also smart economics. These investments generate quality jobs, increase productivity and boost GDP. Expanding care services with decent care work could generate nearly 300 million jobs by 20352, a powerful lever for reducing gender gaps and inclusive growth. Some may question whether Armenia can afford such investments. The evidence suggests it cannot afford not to. Reducing unpaid care burdens and increasing women’s labor force participation could raise Armenia’s GDP by double digits over time. The fiscal question, then, is not about cost, but about return. Investing in care pays dividends across generations. This transformation requires deliberate policy choices: ensuring decent wages and protection for care workers, building climate-resilient and accessible care systems, and redistributing care responsibilities across the State, private sector, community and households. The rewards are tangible – stronger economies, more inclusive societies, and a more resilient Armenia.
Building a care-responsive Armenia requires an integrated national vision — one that treats care as central to economic planning, social protection, and climate resilience. This means developing a national care strategy anchored in the 5R framework: recognize, reduce, redistribute, reward and represent. These principles, endorsed by UN Women and the broader UN system, call for acknowledging the value of care work, lightening its load through services and infrastructure, sharing responsibilities more equitably, ensuring fair pay and protections for care workers, and amplifying their voices in decision-making. Such a strategy must be aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN System-wide Policy on Transforming Care Systems, which positions care as a public good and a foundation for gender equality and inclusive growth. This is not just a social imperative; it is a smart investment in Armenia’s future.
This is not only a question of equity but of resilience. A care system that values both those who provide and those who receive care strengthens the social fabric and prepares communities to withstand shocks — whether economic, environmental, or demographic. Armenia’s path to inclusive and sustainable growth depends on unlocking the potential of all its people. That includes reducing the unequal responsibilities of unpaid care work. Financing such a transformation requires both creativity and commitment. Investments in care infrastructure, through public development banks, international partners, national institutions, and public-private partnerships – can support childcare and eldercare facilities and integrate care into urban and rural planning, and public-private partnerships – can support childcare and eldercare facilities and integrate care into urban and rural planning.
UN Women calls on all stakeholders, including policymakers, the private sector, civil society, and research institutions in Armenia, to act with ambition: to recognize and advocate for care recipients and caregivers, integrate care into budgets and infrastructure plans, to promote men’s equal participation in caregiving, protect the rights of paid care workers, and to embed care priorities within climate and development strategies. The payoff is transformative — for gender equality, for the economy, and for the resilience of future generations.
Care is social infrastructure. It connects households to markets, individuals to opportunity, and generations to one another. Investing in care is investing in the future — and the future is built by caring for it.