The value of work involving care for small children, the sick, disabled and elderly is an important component of Catholic Social Teaching which emphasizes human dignity, fostering solidarity with the vulnerable, and the common good. The demographics of longer lives and smaller families mean more need for paid caregivers. These workers across the world, mostly women, often lack benefits and protections, have low wages, and may face physical, mental and, in some cases, sexual threats. The rights of workers have been central to modern teaching of the Church since the time of Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical on this topic in 1893. Understanding the value of care today means supporting care workers and economic and public policies that place the care of people at the center of life. The importance of this work emphasizes the essential links between the care economy, decent work, gender equality, sustainable development, and social justice. There is an urgent need for solutions that ensure decent work within the care economy and to promote access to high-quality care and support for all. ( Education for Justice article on Catholic Teaching and the Value of Care, December 2024).