Adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 are already part of the population that dedicates at least one hour per week to family care tasks in Cuba, according to 2025 data from the Cuban Observatory on Gender Equality.
Female participation in that age group exceeds male participation and anticipates a gap that widens markedly among adults.
The indicator measures the proportion of people aged 15 and over who perform at least one hour of family care activities per week. The information comes from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), based on the National Occupation Survey (ENO).
In the 15 to 19 age group, nearly 6% of women reported dedicating that time to family care in 2025, compared to around 2% of men.
According to international organizations such as UNICEF and UN Women, adolescent girls should not be forced to assume disproportionate burdens of family care work, as it violates their fundamental rights, restricts their education, and perpetuates gender inequality.
Likewise, the United Nations (UN) considers that if household or care tasks become excessive, such as caring for the sick, the elderly, or younger siblings, this constitutes a form of child labor that States must eradicate.
At the national level, 19% of women aged 15 and over performed at least one hour of weekly family care in 2…
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The female presence in care work remained in both urban and rural areas during 2025. /(Infobae illustrative image)Adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 are already part of the population that dedicates at least one hour per week to family care tasks in Cuba, according to 2025 data from the Cuba Observatory on Gender Equality. Female participation in that age group exceeds male participation and anticipates a gap that widens markedly among adults. The indicator measures the proportion of people aged 15 and over who perform at least one hour of family care activities per week. The information comes from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), based on the National Occupation Survey (ENO). In the 15 to 19 age segment, nearly 6% of women reported dedicating that time to family care in 2025, compared to around 2% of men. According to international organizations such as UNICEF and UN Women, adolescent girls should not be forced to assume disproportionate burdens of family care work, as it violates their fundamental rights, restricts their education, and perpetuates gender inequality. Likewise, the United Nations (UN) considers that if household or care tasks in the home become excessive, such as caring for the sick, the elderly, or younger siblings, this constitutes a form of child labor that States must eradicate. According to the UN, when household or family care tasks are excessive, that constitutes a form of child labor that must be eradicated by States. /(Infobae illustrative image)At the national level, 19% of women aged 15 and over performed at least one hour of weekly family care in 2025, while the proportion among men was 7.2%. The difference amounts to nearly 12 percentage points. The Observatory noted that women's participation in this activity was slightly higher in the two previous years, with a variation of close to two percentage points. The gap with men, in any case, persisted throughout the period analyzed. The data from 2023, 2024, and 2025 show that women surpassed men in all three areas surveyed: the national total, urban areas, and rural areas. In 2025, the female proportion was around 19% in both cities and the countryside, while among men the figures remained close to 7%. The platform indicated that, within the territorial comparison, the urban area showed a higher proportion of men who dedicated at least one hour per week to these tasks. That difference did not alter the overall pattern, with a higher female presence in unpaid care work. Even though there are adolescents who take on these family care tasks, the report focuses on highlighting the central ages of working and family life. Women aged 25 to 44 recorded the highest proportion of participation in family care activities, with nearly one-third of the group in 2025. Among men of that age, the value was around 12%. 19% of women in Cuba performed family care work in 2025 compared to 7.2% of the male population./ (Data from the Cuba Observatory on Gender Equality)The distance was also visible among people aged 20 to 24, where women reached approximately 23% and men remained close to 5%. In the 45 to 54 age group, the female proportion was around 16%, compared to a value below 8% in the male population. Among those aged 55 to 64, about 15 out of every 100 women reported performing at least one hour of weekly family care. Among men, the figure was close to 5%. The same contrast appeared among people aged 65 and over, though with lower percentages. By provinces, Mayabeque had the highest proportion of women dedicated to family care, at 25.3%. It was followed by Havana, with 22.2%; Artemisa, with 21.5%; Ciego de Ávila, with 20.3%; and Camagüey, with 19.6%. The national female average was 18.61%, according to the Observatory's provincial map. Villa Clara had the lowest value, at 15.1%. The entity also noted a reduction in the proportion of women in Matanzas and Villa Clara compared to previous years. The analysis did not identify differences by skin color. The indicator shows that participation in family care begins in adolescence and falls more frequently on women throughout the different stages of age.