hen Sonia Malaspina became Human Resources director at Danone Italy in 2011, she made a radical proposal. “When I came back from maternity leave at my former company, I found an indifferent, sometimes hostile, workplace. No one considered my caregiving responsibilities in my time-management or even asked me how I was feeling,” she explained. “So at Danone Italy, I asked to reshape the workplace to support, rather than penalize, parents.”
Malaspina’s proposal was about business: “If we accept women in the workplace, we’ll have 11% more GDP and more female engagement,” she said. The 2011 policy which grew out of her proposal – called Baby Decalogo – introduced remote work flexibility and mandatory paid leave for fathers. While Italy’s policy ensures women are paid 30% of their salary after two months of paid leave, Danone Italy pays 60%. Both mothers and fathers receive 100% of their bonuses while on leave.
Baby Decalogo’s impact on Danone Italy has been undeniable. One hundred percent of mothers come back to work after maternity leave, 64% of women hold managerial positions (up from 20% in 2011), and there is no gender pay gap. The majority of employees have reported improved soft skills like empathy, delegation, and decision-making.
The Backbone of the Economy
Malaspina’s idea was born from her personal experience, but it is not unique. Care is universal and a necessary part of the life cycle. Everyone gives and receives care, yet it often goes unrecognized and unpaid—in raising kids but also in health care.
Janet Veitch, Chair of the UK Women’s Budget Group, pointed out that the economy depends on an invisible care workforce that teaches children how to think, speak, and get along with other people. That workforce also supplements the welfare system, taking care of aging parents or sick children for free.
While everyone receives care, women provide the bulk of it.
“There is a motherhood penalty,” Veitch explained. “Having children is the biggest differential in income. Even if you continue to work full time after having a child, you’ll likely come back to a lower level, lower paid position. You’re likely to stay local, too, which makes you less competitive. Women have a loss of income over the lifetime which factors into retirement pensions.”
This is why Malaspina, health organizations, and women’s rights activists around the world are shifting their focus to the care economy. To overcome gender inequality and mitigate strains on social welfare systems, they’re looking for greater investment in child and healthcare infrastructure, work flexibility, and paid leave for both parental and elderly care.
Economics or Human Rights?
Diplomatic Courier spoke to dozens of care activists at Salzburg Global Seminar’s conference on Gender Equity in Post Pandemic Rebuilding last week. Though their objectives are similar, these leaders disagree on the best way to convince those with the economic and political power to make a change.
Like Malaspina, Veitch sees the value in making a business argument.
“I actually like the economic argument. When the state decides where to put its money, it's mostly about returns on investment. One of the problems with the women’s rights movement is we work on the basis of values. We’ve argued family violence should be a public policy issue because violence is wrong. We’ve argued this way on a number of women’s rights issues. But it’s hard to use justice when you’re trying to persuade people to give up their privilege—especially when some men have worked hard for their position and are still trying to climb the ladder.”
But Stefania Ilinca, technical advisor for long-term care at WHO Europe, feels “it's dangerous to only focus on care in economic terms.”
“You cannot put a price on care. It's too complex. I fully support investing more in the care economy, but it needs to be complemented by non-monetary recognition. We don’t want all care to be provided as a service. Some health care should be professionalized, but a lot of care is impossible or very sad to imagine like this. Imagine a world where mothers don’t care for children, just babysitters. Or families don’t care for aging parents, just elderly care services.”
Hania Sholkamy, a professor at the American University in Cairo, used breastfeeding as another example. Breastmilk’s value cannot be understood in terms of the cost of bottled milk because it has many more advantages, such as bonding and women’s health.
“I think we need to have an emphasis on material value of care without reducing it to its opportunity cost,” she said. “We need to show that care has a value that translates into welfare, wellbeing, and revenue.” This is especially true for Shokamy who is advocating for maternal benefits in Egypt, where the government pursues an anti-fertility policy. “There is anxiety that if you make life easier for working mothers, they'll have too many children. So I make a case about health. Maternal benefits are not just about a right to care, but better health for everyone in the family.”
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Stop Ignoring Care, It's a Good Investment
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Photo by Jessica Rockowitz on Unsplash
November 2, 2022
Salzburg Global Seminar fellows recently talked strategies for more equitably supporting the invisible care workforce. This is necessary for overcoming gender inequality and mitigating strains on social welfare systems, but advocates differ on approach, reports DC Correspondent Millie Brigaud.
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hen Sonia Malaspina became Human Resources director at Danone Italy in 2011, she made a radical proposal. “When I came back from maternity leave at my former company, I found an indifferent, sometimes hostile, workplace. No one considered my caregiving responsibilities in my time-management or even asked me how I was feeling,” she explained. “So at Danone Italy, I asked to reshape the workplace to support, rather than penalize, parents.”
Malaspina’s proposal was about business: “If we accept women in the workplace, we’ll have 11% more GDP and more female engagement,” she said. The 2011 policy which grew out of her proposal – called Baby Decalogo – introduced remote work flexibility and mandatory paid leave for fathers. While Italy’s policy ensures women are paid 30% of their salary after two months of paid leave, Danone Italy pays 60%. Both mothers and fathers receive 100% of their bonuses while on leave.
Baby Decalogo’s impact on Danone Italy has been undeniable. One hundred percent of mothers come back to work after maternity leave, 64% of women hold managerial positions (up from 20% in 2011), and there is no gender pay gap. The majority of employees have reported improved soft skills like empathy, delegation, and decision-making.
The Backbone of the Economy
Malaspina’s idea was born from her personal experience, but it is not unique. Care is universal and a necessary part of the life cycle. Everyone gives and receives care, yet it often goes unrecognized and unpaid—in raising kids but also in health care.
Janet Veitch, Chair of the UK Women’s Budget Group, pointed out that the economy depends on an invisible care workforce that teaches children how to think, speak, and get along with other people. That workforce also supplements the welfare system, taking care of aging parents or sick children for free.
While everyone receives care, women provide the bulk of it.
“There is a motherhood penalty,” Veitch explained. “Having children is the biggest differential in income. Even if you continue to work full time after having a child, you’ll likely come back to a lower level, lower paid position. You’re likely to stay local, too, which makes you less competitive. Women have a loss of income over the lifetime which factors into retirement pensions.”
This is why Malaspina, health organizations, and women’s rights activists around the world are shifting their focus to the care economy. To overcome gender inequality and mitigate strains on social welfare systems, they’re looking for greater investment in child and healthcare infrastructure, work flexibility, and paid leave for both parental and elderly care.
Economics or Human Rights?
Diplomatic Courier spoke to dozens of care activists at Salzburg Global Seminar’s conference on Gender Equity in Post Pandemic Rebuilding last week. Though their objectives are similar, these leaders disagree on the best way to convince those with the economic and political power to make a change.
Like Malaspina, Veitch sees the value in making a business argument.
“I actually like the economic argument. When the state decides where to put its money, it's mostly about returns on investment. One of the problems with the women’s rights movement is we work on the basis of values. We’ve argued family violence should be a public policy issue because violence is wrong. We’ve argued this way on a number of women’s rights issues. But it’s hard to use justice when you’re trying to persuade people to give up their privilege—especially when some men have worked hard for their position and are still trying to climb the ladder.”
But Stefania Ilinca, technical advisor for long-term care at WHO Europe, feels “it's dangerous to only focus on care in economic terms.”
“You cannot put a price on care. It's too complex. I fully support investing more in the care economy, but it needs to be complemented by non-monetary recognition. We don’t want all care to be provided as a service. Some health care should be professionalized, but a lot of care is impossible or very sad to imagine like this. Imagine a world where mothers don’t care for children, just babysitters. Or families don’t care for aging parents, just elderly care services.”
Hania Sholkamy, a professor at the American University in Cairo, used breastfeeding as another example. Breastmilk’s value cannot be understood in terms of the cost of bottled milk because it has many more advantages, such as bonding and women’s health.
“I think we need to have an emphasis on material value of care without reducing it to its opportunity cost,” she said. “We need to show that care has a value that translates into welfare, wellbeing, and revenue.” This is especially true for Shokamy who is advocating for maternal benefits in Egypt, where the government pursues an anti-fertility policy. “There is anxiety that if you make life easier for working mothers, they'll have too many children. So I make a case about health. Maternal benefits are not just about a right to care, but better health for everyone in the family.”
