The Productive Value of Care: Evidence from International Experience and Implications for Morocco

Hajar Kabbach and Otaviano Canuto

No 2609, Research papers & Policy papers on Economic Trends and Policies from Policy Center for the New South

Abstract: TClosing Morocco's gender employment gap could increase GDP per capita by 40-50 percent; yet female labor force participation stands at just 19 percent—among the lowest in the world and still declining. This policy paper argues that investing in the care economy is not merely a social expenditure, but a productive economic strategy with measurable returns. Drawing on international evidence from Uruguay, Mexico, Colombia, and India, the brief demonstrates that well-designed care systems—spanning childcare, eldercare, and domestic work—can substantially increase women's labor force participation, generate employment across sectors, improve human capital outcomes, and expand the fiscal base through workforce formalization. The paper identifies four operational pillars for reform: building a robust measurement infrastructure, including a satellite account for unpaid care work; expanding affordable, high-quality childcare, particularly for children under three; professionalizing and formalizing the care workforce; and strengthening governance through a centralized coordination body. Morocco's ongoing reform agenda—anchored in the New Development Model and the Jobs Roadmap—offers a timely opportunity to embed these investments within national policy.

Date: 2026-05
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.policycenter.ma/sites/default/files/20 ... no%20Canuto%20V2.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ocp:rpaeco:pp12_26

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Research papers & Policy papers on Economic Trends and Policies from Policy Center for the New South Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Policy Center for the New South's Customer service ( this e-mail address is bad, please contact ).