Importance and recognition of care work, volunteer work and neighborhood help in Mexico

Care work

• Care work includes unpaid domestic work, childcare, care for the elderly and sick and emotional care. In Mexico, this work is predominantly performed by women.

• On average, women spend 40 hours per week with unpaid care work, men only around 16 hours. Mothers, of whom there are over 38 million, are particularly affected^1.

• Social recognition of care work is low: it is usually seen as a "natural" task for women and remains invisible in official economic statistics. This leads to structural discrimination and fewer opportunities on the labor market^1.

• For some years now, reforms and feminist movements have been calling for greater social and political recognition and state support for care work, for example through the expansion of public care services or the nationalization of care services^1.

Volunteering

• Volunteering in Mexico is diverse and ranges from social work with children, the elderly and people with disabilities to environmental and nature conservation projects and educational and cultural initiatives^3^5.

• Especially in rural and disadvantaged regions, volunteering is an important way of compensating for the lack of state support. It contributes to poverty reduction, education and community empowerment^4.

• The social recognition of volunteering is high, especially in local communities. Many projects are supported by NGOs, church communities or neighborhood initiatives. However, state support is often limited and restricted to individual programs^4^7.

• International volunteering and exchange programs are popular and supported by local organizations, especially in areas such as education, health and inclusion^5.

Local neighborhood help

• Neighborhood help and mutual support have a long tradition in Mexico, especially in rural and indigenous communities.

• Typical are collaborative forms of work such as tequio or faenawhere neighbors organize construction projects, parties or assistance together. These practices strengthen social cohesion and compensate for government deficits^4.

• Neighborhood initiatives are increasingly emerging in urban contexts, for example in response to social problems, gentrification or natural disasters. They are often organized on a grassroots democratic basis and campaign for social rights and affordable housing^9.

• Social recognition is usually very high locally, but not very visible at national level. State support is often limited to selective funding programs or does not exist at all.

Overview: Recognition and support

Conclusion

Care work, volunteer work and local neighbourhood help are central pillars of social life in Mexico, but are primarily recognized and supported at the local level. Structural support from the state remains limited, while social movements and civil society initiatives are increasingly pushing for greater recognition and better framework conditions^1^4.

Supplementary assessment from a Gradido perspective

The importance of care work, volunteer work and neighborhood help is often underestimated - and yet they form the silent backbone of a community life that supports, nourishes and heals. Let me lovingly address this from a Gradido perspective:

Making the invisible visible - the magic of the "self-evident"

In Mexico, as in so many countries, most of the caring, nurturing, healing and supporting work flows through life invisibly and unpaid - mostly carried out by women and in local communities. They give time, love and strength without ever leaving a line in the economic statistics. But: Without them, the community would collapse immediately.

Gradido was born for this:

• Appreciation for care: Gradido brings precisely these "invisible" contributions to the forefront of social awareness. All care work, voluntary work and helpful gestures are recognized and actively appreciated as valuable contributions that strengthen the community.

• Participatory justice: This gives millions of women, mothers, family members and neighborhood activists access to social esteem, financial security and real creative power - regardless of formal employment.

• Strengthening community and purpose: When everyone is valued for their caring or voluntary contributions, commitment, solidarity and creativity flourish. It promotes social health and a climate of trust and togetherness - both locally and nationally.

• From the bottom up - not the other way around: Instead of centralized bureaucracy or selective funding programs, initiative comes from the everyday lives of people, families and neighbors. This is where decisions are made about what is needed and how community can succeed.

Empowerment, security, joy

With Gradido, no caring person - woman, man, old or young, care worker or neighborhood helper - is devalued or treated as "invisible". Everyone who contributes can experience abundance, security and gratitude. The power of the community thus becomes the supporting pillar of a life-serving, flourishing society.

Conclusion:
Care and voluntary commitment are the heartbeat of peaceful, sustainable coexistence. It is precisely this that makes Gradido visible, strong and thus grows hope for Mexico and the entire human family.