Responding to women’s collective calls for childcare services in Georgia
0-1 Original language
English
I-1 Name of the initiative
Responding to women’s collective calls for childcare services in Georgia
I-2 Geographical coverage
GEO
I-2-A Region/country
Georgia
I-2-R Region
Europe and Central Asia
I-2-T Geographical scope
Country
I-3-A Initiative start date
2013
I-3-B Initiative end date
2018
I-4 Leading entity/organization
Government
I-5 Collaborating entities/organizations
Government
I-6 Has the ILO been involved in the initiative?
No
I-7 Is there collaboration with other agencies of the United Nations System or other partners?
No
II-1 Justification of the initiative
In Georgia, the government established a law on gender equality, which created the space for the Alliances Caucasus Programme (ACP) to operationalize the law in the livestock sector under the framework of its interventions following a market-systems development approach. Through a market-systems analysis, the ACP uncovered constraints to women’s economic empowerment, which included low representation in local decision-making processes, and a lack of childcare services.
II-10 Focus on other branches of economic activity
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
II-11 Focus on certain categories of enterprises or economic units according to their size
Micro enterprises
II-11 Focus on certain categories of enterprises or economic units according to their size
Small enterprises
II-13 Focus on other specific categories of workers and employers, not captured elsewhere
Workers in the informal economy
II-14 Focus on specific groups of population / persons prioritized in the initiative
Women
II-15 Has the initiative been developed through effective social dialogue processes and inter-institutional coordination mechanisms?
Other consultations
II-2 Objectives and description of the initiative
The programme aimed to improve the representation of women in local decision-making processes, and improve access to childcare service.
II-3 Type of initiative
National/local law
II-3 Type of initiative
Project / pilot intervention
II-3 Type of initiative
Training/capacity building
II-4 Which of the Rs in the 5R Framework for Decent Care Work guides this initiative?
Recognition, reduction and redistribution of unpaid care
II-5 Which is the main policy area of the 5R Framework for Decent Care Work does the practice focus on?
Care policies
II-6 Which other policy areas of the 5R Framework for Decent Care Work does the practice focus on?
Care policies
II-7 Which policies or measures to advance decent work in the care economy does the practice focus on?
Addressing the unequal gender distribution of paid and unpaid work, and promoting women’s economic inclusion and autonomy beyond caregiving
II-7 Which policies or measures to advance decent work in the care economy does the practice focus on?
Invest in and make available high-quality, affordable, adequate and accessible care services, including childcare, health care and long-term care
II-8 Which beneficiaries in the care economy does the practice focus on?
Unpaid carers (workers or persons with care responsibilities, parents, other family members, etc.)
II-9 Geographical scope
Urban and rural
III-1 In a short paragraph, summarize the main results and impacts obtained
The Programme supported the creation of spaces for women to gather with their children and voice their concerns, while training local village representatives to improve their inclusion of women in local decision-making processes. In parallel, the ACP worked with the government to create a set of gender guidelines (including “a code of conduct for village representatives and a meeting checklist, addressing mobility and agency constraints limiting women’s participation”). The increased female participation and representation in village meetings (up by 30 to 40%) meant that childcare services were consistently raised. As a result, childcare services became a greater priority and budget lines were allocated towards the provision of appropriate childcare services. Thanks to this, seventy kindergartens were opened between 2014 and 2018.
III-2 Explanation of the innovative element of the initiative for advancing decent work in the care economy
The Programme supported the creation of spaces for women to gather with their children and voice their concerns, while training local village representatives to improve their inclusion of women in local decision-making processes.
IV-1 What were the main challenges or difficulties during the design and implementation? How were they faced/ addressed?
During design and implementation, the Programme faced several key challenges. First, women’s low representation in local decision-making limited their ability to raise childcare needs. This was addressed through gender-responsive market analysis, training of local representatives, and the introduction of gender guidelines and codes of conduct to institutionalize women’s participation. Second, restrictive social norms constrained women’s mobility and agency. To overcome this, the Programme created women-friendly meeting spaces that allowed participation alongside childcare responsibilities and invested heavily in building team capacity to mainstream gender. Third, the lack of childcare services emerged as a structural barrier to women’s economic engagement. Increased female representation—achieved through the interventions above—led to childcare consistently becoming a priority, prompting local governments to allocate budgets and establish new kindergartens. Fourth, limited local authority capacity for gender-responsive governance was addressed through practical tools such as meeting checklists and ongoing mentoring. Finally, the need to demonstrate the economic relevance of childcare was met by developing women’s empowerment indicators that captured agency and decision-making, enabling stronger advocacy and systemic policy responses.
IV-2 Lessons learned and good practices, including room and opportunities for improvement
Embedding gender equality objectives within an existing legal and policy framework creates strong entry points for systemic change. The market-systems analysis was critical in uncovering underlying constraints to women’s economic empowerment—particularly low representation in decision-making and lack of childcare—which were not purely market failures but also governance and social-norm barriers. Addressing women’s participation required both “soft” measures (safe, women-friendly spaces and confidence-building) and “hard” institutional changes (gender guidelines, codes of conduct, and meeting checklists). Increasing women’s representation in local governance proved to be a catalytic intervention, as it shifted local priorities toward childcare provision, demonstrating how voice and agency can translate into tangible service delivery outcomes.
IV-3 Key conditions for success
Key conditions for success included the presence of a supportive national legal framework on gender equality that created political space for action, combined with a market-systems approach that identified structural and social constraints to women’s empowerment. Success also depended on increasing women’s representation in local decision-making through women-friendly participation spaces and the institutionalization of inclusive practices via gender guidelines, codes of conduct, and practical tools for local representatives.
IV-4 Key conditions for sustainability
Sustainability depends on institutionalizing gender-responsive practices within local governance systems rather than relying on project-led facilitation. The adoption of gender guidelines, codes of conduct, and practical tools for village representatives helped embed inclusive practices into routine decision-making processes. Budget allocation by local authorities for childcare services is a critical sustainability factor, as it anchors service provision in public financing rather than temporary project support. Continued capacity-building of local government actors, alongside ongoing attention to social norms affecting women’s mobility and agency, is necessary to maintain women’s participation and prevent regression. The alignment of women’s empowerment outcomes with local development priorities strengthens political buy-in and long-term commitment.
IV-5 Potential for transferability, expansion and replicability in other countries and contexts
The approach shows strong potential for transferability to other countries and sectors where legal frameworks for gender equality exist but are weakly operationalized at local level. The combination of market-systems analysis, governance reform, and social-norms–sensitive design is adaptable to diverse contexts, including beyond livestock and rural development. Replication is most feasible where local governments have fiscal space and mandates to allocate budgets to social services such as childcare.
V-1 Sources of information and documents used on the characteristics of the initiative, including links to websites, news items, toolkits, policy documents or reports
ILO, 2022. Childcare leave and services from a women’s entrepreneurship development perspective.ILO, 2020. Better cheese, better work: The Alliance Caucasus Programme's Impact on Informality and Working Conditions in Georgia's Dairy Sector