ABSTRACT
Caring is essential for the production and reproduction of society, as everyone requires care at some point in their lives. This huge responsibility predominantly falls on families, and within families, disproportionately on women. This study applies a descriptive analysis on data from Argentina's first National Time Use Survey (ENUT, 2021), to examine the strategies working mothers adopt to replace childcare responsibilities while participating in the labor market. The case of Argentina is particularly relevant given its commitments under the 2030 Agenda to reduce gender gaps (SDG 5). Despite the implementation of public policies and pressure from feminist movements advocating for gender equality, progress toward these goals has been slow. Moreover, Argentina, like other countries in the region, faces deep social inequalities that shape access to childcare services. This is particularly relevant in the growing prevalence of single-parent households headed by women, which experience higher poverty rates compared to other household types. Results reveal that working mothers primarily rely on family members—mainly other women—for childcare, while public and community-based services play a very limited role. Private care services are largely inaccessible to low- and middle-income families. Interestingly, higher-educated fathers show slightly greater participation in caregiving, though the overall responsibility remains overwhelmingly female.
