Unpaid domestic and care work consists of activities necessary for producing goods and services to sustain daily life and to ensure social reproduction for the future. Throughout the world, women are the primary providers of unpaid domestic and care work, and its provision is still viewed by many people as the natural duty of women. Jamaica follows the general global trend in the differences in the amount of time that women versus men spend in unpaid domestic and care work and in paid work, where women participate and spend more time in unpaid work while men participate and spend more time in paid work.
This report looks at the types of unpaid care and domestic work, who is carrying them out, and quantifies, monetizes, and costs this work, as a percentage of GDP

Women are still generally poorer than men in Jamaica. Among the several reasons put forth for women’s continued inequality to men in Jamaica, one that continues to keep women from advancing to the level of their male counterparts is the gender wage gap. Women are more likely to be in vulnerable forms of employment, and less likely to be in leadership positions, both of which can contribute to women’s continued disadvantage, particularly regarding the gender wage gap.
With support from the European Union, the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) completed a report that examines the gender wage gap in Jamaica with reference to its intersection with the care economy.

The Violence Prevention Alliance is a critical organization in Jamaica, working to collect violence-related data according to the public health model of violence prevention. This data is crucial for understanding the root causes of violence in our communities and implemented targeted, effective prevention strategies.

As a well-regarded Jamaican public policy think tank, we have a responsibility to support organizations that are making a positive impact in our community. Providing capacity-building support to VPA will not only help them to continue their important work, but will also ultimately benefit our society as a whole by reducing the impact of violence on our communities. We believe that by investing in organizations like VPA, we can help create a safer and more peaceful Jamaica.
 

Employer-provided care support for workers with care obligations could be one solution to Jamaica’s productivity and labour market challenges. In Jamaica, however, there is no provision of public services or infrastructure to support unpaid care and domestic work obligations. Internationally, the data supports the proposition that both employees and employers’ benefit when employers provide support for their workers’ care obligations. Where those gains result in increased output and productivity, the broader economy also stands to benefit.

Jamaica has the second-highest rate of femicide (intentional homicide of females) and one of the world's highest rates of intimate partner violence. While the causes of GBV are complex, cultural attitudes have been found to contribute significantly to the scale and nature of violence against women and girls, and the reactions and responses to it. There is a proven link between media consumption and cultural attitudes, with the news media playing a key role in the development and reinforcement of social beliefs, individual behaviours, and policy development.

Education is arguably the most important factor in attaining national economic development. In any country, higher education is both a fundamental requirement in achieving a highly skilled labour force as well as an aspiration of many young people for their own personal development and social mobility. No country can achieve sustainable development without substantial investment in human capital. Despite this knowledge, inadequate and inequitable access to tertiary education remains a major developmental challenge in Jamaica. This report assesses the funding sources currently available for tertiary education in Jamaica and compares different tertiary education financing models.

Jamaica began its COVID-19 vaccination programme in March 2021, but Jamaica’s vaccination rate is the second lowest in the Caribbean region, and despite an adequate supply of vaccines, demand remains low. Jamaica is almost certain to fail to reach the desired goal of vaccinating 65 percent of the population by March 31, 2022. This report aims to explore why the uptake of vaccines in Jamaica is so low and what we can do to improve this.