The COVID-19 pandemic and the role of women in the care economy in Latin America: A systematic literature review

Abstract

The care economy integrates the work done for the care of life and well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a dramatic increase in this burden for women, evidencing the importance of researching the issue to mitigate its impact. Considering this need, this article developed a systematic literature review with three purposes: to study research trends on the topic, to analyze the role of women in the care economy in the COVID-19 pandemic, and to establish a future research agenda. The main results show that the pandemic exacerbated existing inequality gaps, affecting women in five particular areas: economic-labor situation, access to technology, healthcare, increased household work, and gender violence.