Structural inequalities in work and care: Ongoing demands in the inter-american system

Abstract

Structural inequality is a constitutive feature of the Latin American region, reflected in the unjust sexual division of labor and care, which affects the exercise of rights, particularly those of women. The article begins by highlighting some of the most important legacies in the career of Professor Cecilia Medina, and then focuses on developing the conceptualization of work and care, such as its incorporation into regulations in civil and family law, labor law, and social security law. In a subsequent section, it then focuses on the definition of care as a human right (the right to care, to be cared for, and to self-care) and analyzes the anchoring of care in the human rights system, starting by considering that the right to care, to be cared for, and to self-care have been recognized, along with its incorporation into the public agenda in Latin America and its current treatment in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights