G7 Gender Equality Council Recommendations 2018

When “Group of Seven” (G7) leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the USA convened in Canada in June 2018, their discussions were influenced by the recommendations from the G7’s Gender Equality Advisory Council. Child care and other social protection provisions played a key role in these recommendations, which included:

- Ensuring women's leadership and participation in politics in countries around the world requires women-friendly policies in national parliaments and regional/provincial parliaments, including those that address child care needs.

- Overcoming health, educational and resource barriers to women's leadership and political participation requires an investment in child care, and strong public health and educations programs.

 - The redistribution of unpaid domestic and care services between families and the public sector – and between girls/women and boys/men – is necessary for gender equity. This is only possible if countries invest in culturally appropriate, accessible, quality care services and gender-equitable social protection systems.

 - Reducing and redistributing unpaid care work also requires investment in social infrastructure, including child care services, urban public transportation, rural feeder roads and safe water for domestic use, noting that these provisions support small/medium enterprises, in particular.

“Ensure that high-quality childcare is universally available and affordable for all preschoolers,” the Council said. It called for public financing of well-regulated early childhood education and care services, as well as care for elderly people.