This knowledge should guide policies and regulations relating to employment in domestic services, one of the main sectors providing paid employment to women in the region, and to employment in public and private service sectors that currently address only a small percentage of the total demand for care in the society. With a view to overcoming inequalities and ensuring decent, protected and inclusive work, there is a need for comprehensive and coordinated policies on shared responsibility and employment (ILO/UNDP 2009, Cecchini and Rico, 2015). Moreover, the overburden of unpaid work on women affects their economic autonomy by limiting their participation in the labour market. This reduces their ability to generate their own income and restricts their access to social security, which is strongly linked to formal employment in the region.