By Melany Mejía Villalobos
GOYN Youth Advisory Group Barranquilla

Talking about youth employment often boils down to education, experience, or lack of opportunities. However, there is a silent barrier that is rarely brought to the forefront of the conversation: unpaid care work.

Caregiving shouldn't be an obstacle. But for thousands of young women, it is.

This reflection arises from an academic exercise in analysis that led me to question a reality that, although it is commonplace, is rarely placed at the center of the conversation:

To what extent does the burden of unpaid care responsibilities affect the access and integration into formal employment of women and young mothers in vulnerable contexts?

A global problem that is experienced in everyday life

Globally, women perform approximately 76.2% of unpaid care work, dedicating more than three times the time men do to these activities. This includes caring for children, the elderly, and the sick, as well as managing the household.

Although these tasks sustain life and the economy, they are not recognized as employment. And that's where the problem begins: the time spent on caregiving is time that cannot be dedicated to studying, working, or starting a business.

In Latin America, this reality is even more pronounced. Approximately 75% of care work falls on women, especially in vulnerable contexts where job opportunities are already limited.

Colombia: When caring also costs opportunities

In Colombia, over 90% of women perform unpaid care work. This work, though invisible, represents approximately 19.6% of the country's GDP.

However, its impact on women's lives is profound: it limits their economic autonomy, reduces their participation in the labor market, and conditions their educational decisions.

For example, 15.2% of women who do not continue their studies do so because of domestic and caregiving responsibilities. It's not a lack of interest. It's a lack of time, support, and options.

Barranquilla: a reality that has a face

When this problem lands in Barranquilla and its metropolitan area, it ceases to be a statistic and becomes real stories.

Maria, 17, dropped out of school after becoming pregnant. Today she spends eight hours a day caring for her son and cannot work because she has no one to leave him with.

“If I had a free daycare nearby, I could study or work.”, says.

Laura, 22, cares for her two children for 10 to 12 hours a day. She has had to turn down job opportunities because she lacks a support network.

“I feel frustrated because I want to contribute financially to my children and I can’t.”, he expresses.

But it's not just mothers who face this situation.

Daniela, 25, cares for her ailing grandmother. She has missed out on job opportunities because she cannot attend interviews.I don't have any support networks”.

Valentina, 16, takes care of her younger siblings, which has affected her academic performance.

Carolina, 24, although not a mother, also has limited work availability due to family responsibilities.

These stories highlight something key: The problem is not caregiving, it's the overload and the lack of conditions to do it without giving up other opportunities.

More than an individual barrier, a structural problem

Various initiatives have sought to improve access to youth employment. Programs such as those promoted by the Global Opportunity Youth Network Barranquilla, the National Learning Service, and UN Women have focused on training, employability, and economic empowerment.

However, many of these strategies do not directly address one of the main barriers: the time that women dedicate to caregiving.

This creates a disconnect: they prepare for employment, but they cannot always access it.

So, what do we need to change?

If we want to talk about decent employment for young women, we cannot ignore the care system.

Considering this, some key points are:

• Expand access to care services (daycare centers, community centers).

• Promote jobs with flexible hours or hybrid modalities.

• Recognize care as an economic issue, not just a social one.

• Include a gender perspective in employment policies.

• Because the question is not whether women can work.

The question is: Under what conditions are they trying to do it?

Closing the gap also means opening opportunities.

Reducing the gender gap in access to employment is not achieved solely through more training or more job openings. It is achieved by understanding the realities women face and designing solutions that address them.

Caring shouldn't mean giving up on dreaming.

And building opportunities also involves recognizing that which, although invisible, sustains everything else.

Writing about this topic has not only been an academic exercise, it has been a way of taking a closer look at realities that often go unnoticed.

Through this process I understood that behind every number there are stories, difficult decisions and dreams that are put on hold, not for lack of desire, but for lack of conditions.

As a young woman and future Human Resources professional, I am committed to not being indifferent to these realities, but rather to contributing to building fairer opportunities where caregiving does not mean sacrificing personal and professional growth. I firmly believe that making these situations visible is the first step toward transforming them, and that strengthening initiatives, policies, and support networks focused on caregiving and employment can make a real difference in the lives of many young women.