WHY SHOULD WE WORRY ABOUT CARE AND MAKE IT VISIBLE IN SOCIETY?

Care is a universal need for the preservation of life and people's wellbeing. Its conceptualization has moved from limiting it to a domestic setting to acknowledging its multidimensional character where its identity is articulated with affective, economic and political dimensions. In Latin America, care takes place in an informal context, with unequal distribution of responsibilities, and limited appreciation of this social role. Together with this, the aging of the population in the region, the increasing insertion of women in the labor market and the migratory flows can be leading to a "crisis in care". This study states the need to make visible the importance of social care and include the topic in public debate, in order to build policies promoting responsibilities shared by the State, the market, the family and the civil society in the construction of an integral system of cares.