Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada inaugurated the Casa de las 3Rs care center in Xochimilco on July 8 [2].
The facility aims to shift the burden of unpaid domestic labor, which has historically fallen almost exclusively on women. By providing a structured environment for care, the city intends to recognize and reduce the time women spend on these responsibilities, allowing them greater access to education and employment.
Located at the Centro DIF Muyuguarda, the Casa de las 3Rs is a primary component of the city's Public Care System. The center focuses on three pillars: recognizing, redistributing, and reducing care work. This initiative seeks to transform the daily lives of women by treating care as a collective social responsibility rather than a private female obligation.
This expansion of public services follows the legislative approval of the Public Care System Law. That legislation passed with 64 votes in favor [1], establishing a legal framework to ensure that the care of children, elderly persons, and the sick is no longer the sole responsibility of women.
The Xochimilco center serves as a model for how the government can integrate social services into existing infrastructure. The project utilizes the DIF Muyuguarda facility to provide a localized hub where families can access support services. Brugada said the goal is to redistribute responsibilities to ensure gender equality in the domestic sphere.
By institutionalizing these services, the administration aims to create a sustainable network of care that prevents women from being sidelined in the labor market. The Casa de las 3Rs represents the first physical implementation of this systemic shift in the city's approach to social welfare and gender equity.
“The facility aims to shift the burden of unpaid domestic labor.”
The establishment of the Casa de las 3Rs signals a shift toward 'care infrastructure' in Mexico City. By treating care as a public utility rather than a private duty, the government is attempting to dismantle the economic barriers that prevent women from entering the professional workforce, potentially impacting the city's long-term labor participation rates and gender pay gap.
