Who provides childcare?: analysing the distribution of care work in Mexico

Using the care diamond framework proposed by Shahra Razavi, we analyse paid and unpaid care (especially childcare) in Mexico on the basis of four provider categories: family or household, the State, the market and the non-profit sector. Our work combines two main types of data: descriptive statistics and published studies based on empirical research and in-depth policy analysis. We offer a comprehensive description of childcare distribution in Mexico, outlining the four provider categories and institutional and private arrangements that support social reproduction. We highlight the weak public provision of childcare, which worsens inequality among women and families of different socioeconomic strata and increases low-income women’s dependence on unpaid childcare in order to work or reliance on the market to expand childcare through private services outside and inside the household. Our work shows the suitability and potential of the care diamond for analysis of societies with weak welfare systems.