Gender and teleworking: The case of the workers of the Uruguay Crece Contigo program

Abstract

In this article we problematize the deepening of the sexual division of labor among paid care workers in Uruguay during the COVID-19 pandemic and the change to teleworking. Based on the selection of the Uruguay Crece Contigo Program as a case for observing the link between public policy and child care on the part of the Program's workers, 26 in-depth interviews were conducted with supervisors, facilitators and proximity operators, gathering their experiences on the work during the pandemic. This made it possible to reflect on two fundamental axes: the guarantees to be able to sustain paid work and care in pandemics and the redistributive mechanisms of care between the State and families, and women and men. It was noted that the shock of the pandemic found a State that was beginning to develop its care policies that did not respond in material or symbolic terms to the needs of both female care workers and populations with higher levels of care needs, such as children. horizontal learning that occurs in peer interaction plays a fundamental role in professional performance.