In recent decades, Latin American countries have embarked on a transformative journey to address one of the most enduring yet overlooked social challenges: the burden of unpaid caregiving predominantly borne by women. Amidst this landscape, Bogotá, Colombia, stands out as a pioneering force with the introduction of the District Care System (Sistema Distrital de Cuidado, SIDICU) in 2020. This innovative policy framework seeks to alleviate the relentless and often invisible labor of caregiving through a multifaceted approach involving social services, educational initiatives, and recreational activities concentrated within specially designed Care Blocks—locally known as Manzanas del Cuidado—in economically marginalized urban neighborhoods.
The urgency of tackling unpaid caregiving is underscored by its profound gendered nature. Globally, women disproportionately shoulder domestic and caregiving responsibilities, which are seldom remunerated or acknowledged in economic analyses. This systemic invisibility not only limits women’s economic opportunities but also entrenches social inequities. Bogotá’s SIDICU represents a deliberate shift in public policy, reframing care work from a private, unrecognized burden to a public concern warranting institutional support and resource allocation.
Our comprehensive research into SIDICU’s implementation utilized ethnographic observation, in-depth interviews, and several focus groups conducted among low-income women residing in the affected neighborhoods. This qualitative approach allowed us to capture nuanced realities and lived experiences of caregivers navigating the policy’s tangible impacts and latent social dynamics. Findings reveal that the initiative has significantly enhanced the societal recognition of care work’s intrinsic value, an achievement that extends beyond mere rhetoric or symbolic acknowledgment.
One of the most striking outcomes of SIDICU has been providing marginalized women with unprecedented access to public institutions and social services. Historically, many women in low-income urban areas in Bogotá have faced systemic barriers to engaging with formal institutions due to socioeconomic marginalization, informal housing arrangements, and distrust of government programs. Through Care Blocks, these women now connect with services ranging from healthcare and legal aid to educational workshops, thereby fostering a renewed sense of agency and inclusion within the urban social fabric.
Unexpectedly, social networks of mutual support emerged organically among caregivers utilizing the Care Blocks. These networks have become vital social infrastructures in their own right, facilitating emotional resilience, knowledge exchange, and communal solidarity. Rather than being mere passive beneficiaries of service delivery, women actively co-construct supportive environments that enhance their coping capacities and cultivate collective empowerment.
The multidisciplinary nature of SIDICU integrates social policy with urban planning and community engagement. Each Care Block is meticulously designed to be a safe, accessible, and welcoming space that accommodates childcare, educational activities, and opportunities for recreational engagement. This spatial innovation underscores a vital insight: physical infrastructure tailored to the needs of caregivers can catalyze social transformation by making the invisible labor of care visible and valued within urban geographies.
Despite its profound benefits, SIDICU does not resolve the complex, deeply embedded structural inequalities underlying unpaid caregiving. The persistence of traditional gender norms, the informal economy’s dominance, and insufficient systemic redistribution of domestic labor all continue to challenge the full realization of equitable care systems. Yet, by institutionalizing care as a public good and embedding it into local governance frameworks, SIDICU lays critical groundwork for more comprehensive reforms.
The Bogotá case epitomizes a model where local government assumes proactive responsibility in negotiating the interplay between care work, social justice, and urban development. This stands as a counter-narrative to neoliberal policy regimes that often marginalize caregiving under austerity measures. In this light, SIDICU becomes emblematic of a broader Latin American awakening to public care as a transformative axis for social inclusion and urban equality.
Our ethnographic findings highlight the intersectionality of care work’s impact: indigenous women, migrants, and women from Afro-Colombian backgrounds all articulate distinct challenges and benefits derived from the policy. This intersectional lens is crucial for tailoring future interventions that are culturally sensitive and responsive to varied positionalities within caregiving populations.
Moreover, the educational component embedded within Care Blocks plays a pivotal role in reshaping societal perceptions about caregiving. By equipping women with knowledge about their rights, health, and child development, the program contributes to psychosocial empowerment that potentially reverberates intergenerationally. This educational outreach fosters not just immediate relief but long-term capacity building among low-income mothers and caregivers.
From a policy analysis perspective, SIDICU’s success illuminates the importance of localized, context-aware public health policies that center the lived experiences of marginalized groups. Unlike top-down policy impositions, SIDICU’s design and implementation involved extensive community consultation and participatory governance, fostering legitimacy and adaptability.
Technological tools also facilitated the program’s outreach and monitoring. Mobile applications and digital platforms were employed to coordinate care activities, collect user feedback, and manage resource allocation efficiently. This fusion of low-tech human engagement with digital infrastructure exemplifies modern public administration’s capacity for innovation in social services.
Importantly, the expansion of Care Blocks reveals the potential scalability of such models across other Latin American metropolises facing similar challenges. While each city’s sociocultural and political dynamics require tailored adaptations, the fundamental principles of inclusive care infrastructure, rights-based recognition, and social network facilitation hold broad applicability.
Nonetheless, sustainability remains an ongoing concern. The policy’s longevity hinges on continued political will, budgetary commitments, and the ability to institutionalize caregiving within urban social contracts. Without these, the gains risk erosion amid shifting political landscapes or economic downturns.
In conclusion, Bogotá’s District Care System transcends being a mere policy experiment. It symbolizes a paradigmatic shift toward envisioning cities as not only spaces of economic productivity but as ecosystems of care, solidarity, and human flourishing. While systemic challenges persist, the unanticipated formation of care networks within the Care Blocks offers a powerful testament to the transformative potential inherent in recognizing and supporting caregiving as a vital public mission.
Subject of Research: Effects of the District Care System (SIDICU) policy on the care burden of low-income women in Bogotá, Colombia.
Article Title: Care networks as unanticipated gains of local public policy.
Article References:
Álvarez-Rivadulla, M.J., Espejo Fandiño, S.O., Fleischer, F. et al. Care networks as unanticipated gains of local public policy. Nat Cities (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-025-00389-6
Image Credits: AI Generated
