Who takes care of whom?

No one prepares us for seeing our parents grow old. They were the ones who took care of us, fed us, raised us, took us to the doctor, made sure we had a place to live, what to wear, and what to play with… Until we grew up and, before we knew it, they stopped being caregivers and were now cared for, accompanied.

Caring and being cared for has guaranteed human survival. We are alive because someone has cared for us since birth: fed us, clothed us, and looked after us; because while we work, someone is caring for our children and managing the household; because when we get sick, in the best of cases, there is someone there, caring: a relative, a neighbor or friend, a nurse, a doctor… someone.

And when old age arrives, who cares for those they cared for? Seeing our parents getting older means being aware that they are beginning to experience certain physical limitations, health problems are emerging or worsening, which leads to a loss of autonomy and greater dependence in daily life. Then, the roles are reversed, and it's time to care for them, call them, look after them, and accompany them. But, as a country, are we ready to guarantee the care of older adults?

And it's not just about solidarity, humanity, and empathy. Caring, being cared for, and self-care are universal human rights, and the State has the obligation to guarantee them, as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) recently recognized on August 7. Through Advisory Opinion 31, it focused on the importance of caregiving and, with it, also recognized the valuable work carried out by caregivers, the majority of whom are women and perform unpaid work, at the expense of their own professional development or with double shifts (inside and outside the home).

“Every day, women and girls in Latin America spend up to three times more hours than men on unpaid care work—cooking, cleaning, caring for children, and supporting the sick and elderly,” warns UN Women.

Caregiving tasks (including domestic work) have historically been undervalued, despite being fundamental to the functioning of the economy and the subsistence of any society. It is a 24/7 job, carried out 24 hours a day, seven days a week, especially when it comes to caring for infants, people with disabilities, and people with illnesses.

The Care System currently being developed at the federal level in Mexico requires regulating and designing public policies to guarantee this right, but also to reduce and redistribute the workload so that it no longer falls on women. In fact, one of the most urgent public policies in the country is the training of caregivers, the recognition of caregiving as formal work, and the provision of decent remuneration for this noble and arduous work.

Adults like you (dear readers) and me need to prepare for old age. Our parents, and in the near future, we ourselves, will need care. It's part of the life cycle, and it would be very helpful if the Mexican State were prepared for the accelerated aging of the population. It is predicted that by 2050, a quarter of Mexicans will be over 65, and many of us will require someone to care for us. So, who will care for whom?