By Ana M. Sanchez  

Co-coordinator of the Comprehensive Care System

 District Secretariat for Social Integration, Bogotá, Colombia

Care, historically invisible and undervalued, has emerged as a fundamental element in the transformation of contemporary societies. In Latin America, where this task has fallen mainly on women, Bogotá has developed an innovative initiative that is redefining how cities approach care as a fundamental right and collective responsibility.

Historical evolution of care as a right

The recognition of care as a right and a collective responsibility began to gain strength in the 20th century, particularly from the 1970s onwards, with the emergence of feminist movements. These movements were crucial in making visible the unpaid work carried out mainly by women in the home. During the 1990s, international organisations such as the UN and ECLAC actively promoted these initiatives, highlighting their importance in reducing gender inequalities.

The reality of care in Latin America and Colombia

In Latin America, statistics reveal a deep inequality in the distribution of care work. According to ECLAC, women spend between 22 and 42 hours a week on unpaid care work, while men spend less than 10 hours. In Colombia, the situation is particularly critical: 9 out of 10 women do unpaid care work, representing approximately 131% of the national GDP.

In Bogotá, the reality is equally challenging: 1.2 million women spend most of their time on unpaid care work, with work days ranging from 12 to 16 hours a day. This overload generates significant time and economic poverty. A particularly revealing fact is that 70% of these women have a high school education level of at most, which severely limits their opportunities for personal and professional development.

First national care systems

Before Bogotá, other countries had already set precedents in this area. Uruguay, for example, became the first Latin American country to create a National Care System in 2015, guaranteeing services for children, the elderly and people with disabilities, and promoting co-responsibility between the State, families and the market. Sweden, for its part, is recognized for its welfare state approach, which includes public childcare and elderly care services designed to promote gender equality and women's participation in the workforce.

Bogotá case: Reimagining the city from care

For years, cities have been planned and organized according to traditionally masculine criteria: mobility, productivity, and security. Bogotá was no exception. However, the city has taken a disruptive turn by reimagining its urban development around care. The Territorial Planning Plan (POT) “Bogotá Reverdece 2022-2035” represents a radical transformation in urban planning by integrating care as a fundamental criterion.

With an investment of 3.2 billion pesos (approximately USD 800 million), the plan establishes ambitious goals for 2035: 45 Care Blocks, 80 new schools, 24 hospitals, 41 health centers, 26 cultural facilities, 14 specialized infrastructures for care for vulnerable populations, among others.

The District Care System: A comprehensive response

Implemented in 2021 during the administration of former Mayor Claudia López and under the tireless leadership of former Secretary of Women Diana Rodríguez, the District Care System is based on three essential pillars: the redistribution of care work between families, the State, communities and the private sector, the recognition of the economic and social value of care and the reduction of the disproportionate burden on women.

The Apples of Care: Innovation in action

The Care Blocks are the central axis of the System, representing a pioneering model of territorial planning that takes advantage of the city's existing infrastructure. They are physical spaces located at strategic points in the city, which offer comprehensive services for caregivers and care recipients. More than 15 free services are offered:

• For caregivers: Flexible education to complete basic and secondary education, employment and entrepreneurship routes, preventive health advice, wellness activities (yoga, aerobics, Bike School), psychosocial and legal care, training in digital skills, second language learning.
• For people requiring care: Care for children between 1 and 12 years old, services for the elderly, support for people with disabilities, activities for developing skills and autonomy, among others.

A crucial aspect of the system is the multifunctionality of public infrastructure. For example, schools that traditionally operated on limited schedules now extend their services to include evening and weekend programs for mothers and caregivers.

Similarly, Community Development Centers (CDC) have evolved to become strategic nodes of the District Care System. In these spaces, essential services of the System are concentrated, allowing caregivers to access opportunities for personal and professional development, while those requiring care are simultaneously attended to. This transformation not only optimizes the use of existing infrastructure, but also expands coverage and ensures that more people can benefit from services without time or distance barriers.

Bogotá has also implemented 2 care buses that provide services to rural and urban areas with difficult access where there are no Manzanas yet, providing essential services that reduce and distribute care, such as the Art of Caring for You and care for the elderly, relieving their caregivers and giving them back some time.

Significant impact and achievements

The District Care System has transformed the lives of thousands of people in Bogotá. Since its creation, 792,651 people have been served, of which 66% are women. Some of the most notable achievements include: 86,000 women benefited from spaces for respite and well-being, 7,000 women served in the employment and entrepreneurship route, 2,000 men participating in cultural change workshops, more than 1,000 women graduated from the Flexible Education program and 12,000 women graduated from technical training programs.

In addition, the system is complemented by initiatives for the care and prevention of violence against women, girls, boys and adolescents at risk, having assisted 108,493 women victims of violence with psychosocial and socio-legal services.

International recognition and projection

The success of the System has positioned Bogotá as a regional benchmark, being selected as a regional partner in the Americas to host Women Deliver in 2023, which highlighted gender transformations, such as the adoption of a Territorial Planning Plan with a gender focus.

In that same year, it received the Guangzhou International Urban Innovation Award, standing out as one of the five best urban innovations in the world and at the Creative Bureaucracy Festival in Germany, Bogotá was awarded the “Large Scale Impact Award” for the design and implementation of the Manzanas del Cuidado.

Bogotá’s District Care System represents a fundamental transformation in how cities approach care and gender equity, demonstrating that care must be at the heart of urban public policies. This progressive model demonstrates how gender-sensitive urban planning can create more just and sustainable cities when political will, inter-institutional cooperation and commitment to equity come together.

Although the system faces important challenges such as financial sustainability, the need to expand coverage to rural and peri-urban areas, the incorporation of technologies that allow measuring the efficiency in the provision of services by optimizing resources and the essential consolidation of political will and the private sector, experience shows that it is possible to transform the care paradigm, moving towards a model that recognizes, values and redistributes this work equitably in society.

Only through a comprehensive vision and sustained commitment will it be possible to transform care into a right accessible to all people, reducing gender gaps and promoting a more equitable society.

References

Bogotá Mayor's Office. (2023). Management report of the District Care System.
ECLAC. (2022). Care as a pillar of economic recovery with equality.
López, C. (2023). Women Deliver – Interview on the District Care System.
UN Women. (2021). Care at the heart of post-COVID-19 recovery.