The impact of the wage gap on care work: A human rights analysis

Abstract

This article analyzes how the gender pay gap in El Salvador is directly linked to the caregiving role traditionally assigned to women, from a human rights and gender perspective. Based on recent statistical data and international standards (CEDAW, ILO, IACHR), it is evident that unpaid caregiving responsibilities perpetuate economic inequality and limit women's access to formal employment, promotions, and decision-making. The study proposes understanding caregiving as a multidimensional human right—to be cared for, to care for, and to care for oneself—and highlights the urgent need to create a National Care System that guarantees dignified, equitable, and co-responsible conditions. Legislative advances, public policies, and good practices, such as the UNDP georeferencing tool, which allows for mapping caregiving needs and services, are examined. Finally, the need for a national care law that incorporates human rights principles, a gender perspective, and intersectionality, and that transforms the sociocultural patterns that perpetuate wage discrimination and the invisibility of care work, is raised.