The recent Vaseline Heritage Month advert evoked many memories among many Africans. In it, wrinkled hands gently smooth a child’s cheeks with petroleum jelly — a universal act of care and tenderness. For many of us, it brought back memories of our mothers, gogos, aunts and neighbours; the women who made us whole. It reminded us that our lives are held together by care.
South Africa will be hosting the G20 Social Summit on the 18th-20th of November 2025 under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”, which highlights ubuntu. The summit offers a vital platform to embed care into global policy. That same spirit of ubuntu — “I am because we are” — sits at the heart of Women20 (W20), which has placed the care economy firmly on the global agenda, asserting that care is not charity, but rather the invisible engine that keeps households and nations running.
While there is no clear definition of the care economy, it is known to encompass both paid and unpaid work, and direct and indirect work. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the care economy is essential for achieving social justice, promoting economic growth, and enhancing overall wellbeing for present and future generations. If compensated, the care economy would account for 9% of the world’s GDP. Therefore, when we treat care as invisible, we hinder economic growth and deepen poverty.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) reminds us that the advancement of decent work and gender equality depends on how the provision of care is structured, who provides it and how responsibilities are redistributed. But the data from UN Women paints a stark picture: women spend the most time doing unpaid care, about three-quarters of it. In sub-Saharan Africa, women spend four hours while men spend 1.4 hours on unpaid care and domestic work. In South African homes, women and girls aged from 10 years old spend 15.6% of their time on unpaid care and domestic work, while men only spend 6.5%.
Meanwhile, the Global North’s so-called “gender equality” often rests on the backs of migrant women from Africa. According to the African Centre for Economic Transformation, “the migration of care workers from regions like sub-Saharan Africa creates the illusion of gender progress in the Global North, built on the undervalued labour of migrant women from the Global South”. For instance, in the UK, the care industry consists mostly of migrant workers (mostly coming from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Nigeria) because they are more likely to accept lower wages.
The persisting gender norms and expectations that carework and family responsibility are solely a woman’s responsibility reinforce the idea that care should be unpaid and informal. A study has indicated that the belief that women are mainly responsible for raising children is stronger among black children than among other races in South Africa. This is reflected in family structures. For instance, only 32% of black children are raised by their biological fathers compared with 51% of coloured children, 86% of Indian/Asian children and 80% of white children. These statistics indicate that “while men are less engaged in caregiving in general, in black African households, fathers are more likely to be non-resident members, which poses challenges to involvement in caregiving”.
Shifting gender norms
Hence, shifting gender norms is equally vital. Men must play a greater role in caregiving, and their involvement should be seen as normal, not exceptional. To build a more just and inclusive society, we must demand that our leaders prioritise care in economic policy.
There is growing proof that investing in care is good for the economy.
In Kenya, low-cost and more flexible formal childcare led to better quality work arrangements for urban women. Similarly, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, affordable low-cost childcare centres in agricultural communities led to economic diversification and an increase in household income of about 30%. Promisingly, Côte d’Ivoire has expanded its childcare and nutrition programme from 140 to more than 2,300 sites, aiming to reach all 8,000 villages by 2030. These examples show that with the right policies, care can be a catalyst for inclusive growth.
In South Africa, research shows that every dollar invested in accessible childcare could generate up to seven dollars in economic activity, particularly by enabling previously unemployed caregivers to enter the workforce.
If Africa wants inclusive growth, we need to design and implement context-specific policies that acknowledge that care in Africa is not just a private act, but it is also embedded in our cultures. Moreover, policies need to take note of the diversity in Africa; what works in South Africa may not work in Zimbabwe, Nigeria or Ghana.
Since care is not just a personal responsibility, it’s the foundation of our economy and society. Imagine those same wrinkled hands from the Vaseline advert, only this time, they belong to a grandfather, a father, or an uncle. DM