Achieving gender equality and women’s rights through public services and social protection

December 2023

Briefing: The provision of quality care is a public good, and national governments have a duty to ensure its provision. Recurring global economic shocks have exposed how vital care provision is, prompting growing interest among governments and donors. Yet this comes against a backdrop of the increasing private financing of public services, advanced by powerful institutions in the Global North.

This briefing argues that publicly funded and managed public services and social protection are central to achieving gender equality and women’s rights. Drawing on research conducted by Global South organisations in Brazil, India and Zambia, alongside other examples, it underscores the cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and equity of publicly financed services. The briefing concludes with recommendations from Southern campaigns and organisations as to what Northern governments and institutions should do to increase the fiscal space available to governments in the Global South for funding quality gender-transformative public services and social protection.