Terms of Reference (TOR) for a consultant - Preparing multi-country background study on care workers and policies in Arab States (Early Childhood Care and Education)

Background

Despite progress, the Arab States region lags behind in addressing gender inequalities due to economic and political instabilities and entrenched patriarchal norms. Women’s employment remains a major issues, and the region (non-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)) had the lowest female participation rate in the world at 11.7 per cent (while it is 66.2% for men) in 2024. The region sees huge gender gaps in income with Arab women earning just 12.5 per cent of the income earned by Arab men, which is the lowest ratio in the world. 

It is now widely recognized among the women’s rights advocates, development practitioners and academia that investing in the care economy is a game changer in enhancing women’s labour force participation, advancing gender equality in the world of work and advancing sustainable development, as it can reduce unpaid care work currently borne by mostly women and girls,  generate more decent jobs in the care sectors to expand employment opportunities for women, and improve availability and accessibility of care services and facilities to ensure well-being of all. More and more policy makers in the Arab States region recognize the importance of the care economy, and the ILO organized a regional conference on “Investing in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in the Arab Region for a More Gender Equal World of Work in Amman, Jordan in May 2023. In 2024, the Resolution on decent work and the care economy was also adopted at the International Labour Conference, calling for an urgent need for action. However, gaps remain among the key stakeholders in terms of the levels of understanding to initiate and engage in policy discussions. There is also limited data on the care economy at the country level.

A South-South and Triangular Cooperation project: Towards ensuring decent work for paid care workers in the Arab States region, implemented by the ILO Regional Office for Arab States, is planning to develop background studies on the status of the care economy with focus on ECCE in Arab States which will be used for peer learning and policy discussions to strengthen the care economy at the national level. In this context, the project is seeking the service of a consultant to develop a background study.  

Objectives

The report/background study aims to present:

• The importance of investing in ECCE for generating employment opportunities, and advancing gender equality and decent work in the Arab States region.
• An overview on how ECCE is organized in countries in the Arab States region.
• Good practices in promoting decent work and the care economy in ECCE in the Arab States region.
• Good practices from countries that have advanced in promote decent work and the care economy in ECCE, with focus on countries from the Global South.
• Data on where actions are required to contribute to policy dialogue for advancing decent work and the care economy in ECCE at the country level.

The report will be the basis for creating common understanding on the importance of investing in ECCE, and building the capacity of relevant stakeholders to improve ECCE in line with the ILO’s 5R framework. The report will be presented at the knowledge sharing workshop planned in 2025 which will promote peer learning, collaboration, and SSTC to strengthen the care economy in the Arab States region.

Scope and Methodologies

The report is expected to present an overview of the situation ECCE in 8-9 selected countries in the Arab States region. It is expected that the report will present information on at least the following areas:

1. Overview of the labour market information related to the care economy with focus on ECEC, including information from the ILO Care Simulator.
2. National policy and regulatory frameworks including in the areas of training and standards for workers and quality requirements for ECCE and financing, etc.
3. Situations and practices of meeting childcare needs (possibly for different income groups), including social norms and availability and affordability of quality childcare services (e.g. public and/or private care services, infrastructure, accessibility, etc).
4. Situations of ECCE workers: training and development, employment status/quality and benefits including remuneration and social protection coverage, skills development, job retention and career advancement, organization of workers to represent in policy discussions, etc.
5. Situations of organizations providing ECCE services: operational information, status of registration, etc.
6. Potential good practices for strengthening ECCE in line with the ILO’s 5R framework in the Arab States region.
7. At least 5 case studies/good practices from countries outside of the Arab States region in promoting decent work and the care economy with focus on ECCE, with focus on good practices from the Global South.

Geographical scope

The multi-country report will provide analysis of the situation for 8-9 selected countries in the Arab States region. The country selection will be finalized, however, the following countries may be included: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.

Methodologies

The multi-country regional report will be developed based on:

• Secondary data collection: Desk-based research
• Primary data collection: Stakeholder interviews (online), potentially engaging stakeholders from SSTC countries.

Key Outputs

1. 1. Detailed plan of work for developing the report and country reports, prepared with inputs from relevant ILO specialists.
   2. Draft report minimally containing the information specified in Section 3.
   3. Updated final draft report reflecting comments and inputs from relevant ILO specialists.

Timeline

The assignment is expected to start as soon as possible, to complete by end December 2024. The expected number of work days is 30.

Qualifications

• A postgraduate degree in social sciences, humanities, laws, international development with proven experience in a gender and labour related field.
• At least 3-5 years of experience in conducting research.  
• Publication track record on a gender-related topic.
• Excellent communication and writing skills in English.
• Familiarity with international labour standards.
• Understanding on gender and labour issues and care economy issues.  Experience in the Arab States region is an advantage.
• Arabic language skill is an advantage.
• Prior experience of working with international organisations strongly preferred.