Abstract

ARROYO, María Concepción  and  DE LOS SANTOS, Perla Vanessa. Child care vs old age care: presences and absences in the care policy in Mexico. Reflexiones [online]. 2023, vol.102, n.1, pp.198-223. ISSN 1659-2859.  http://dx.doi.org/10.15517/rr.v102i2.48695.

Introduction: In Latin America, a variety of policies and programs have been implemented that are responding to the demand for care of the dependent population, mainly children and the elderly, although not all at the same pace or with the same importance.

Objective: Take a tour of child care policies and the elderly population in Mexico, identifying the presences and absences in each of these and critically reflect on social inequalities around care.

Method: An extensive documentary review of both applied research, theoretical contributions and official sources on the subject was carried out. Likewise, legislative documents and institutional programs were consulted, carrying out an exercise of analysis of the information collected and subsequently, raising questions and objectives that gave rise to the discussion and conclusions on the subject addressed.

Results: The State's response to the demand for childcare and the elderly population is insufficient, before which it is clarified that it is the families and especially the women who assume this social responsibility. In addition, there are more child care services, which is not the case in the case of care for the elderly, a field in which a significant gap can be seen, especially in long-term care.

Conclusion: It is necessary to implement care policies that take into account family transformations and weigh gender equality, so that the burden of caring for the dependent population does not fall on women; On the other hand, awareness was created about the importance of assessing the demographic changes that show the rapid increase in the number of older people and balancing the implementation of old-age care policies with equal importance to child care policies.

Keywords : Care; Child population; Older people; Gender inequalities; Rights.

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