The ILO STREAM Programme Extending Social Protection to Migrant Workers and their Families in the South Asia–Gulf Corridor invites researchers to submit proposals to present research papers relevant to the intersection between domestic work, the care economy and social protection across the South Asia-GCC Migration Corridor. The deadline for submission is Friday, 19 December 2025. Papers will be presented and discussed at a dedicated side event of the South4Care: South Asia Learning Hub on Decent Work and the Care Economy, which is scheduled to be held on 27 Match 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The authors of the selected papers will be contacted no later than 16 January 2026 and will be invited to submit their full papers by 6 March 2026. Selected papers will be published.
Objectives and Research Questions
This Call for Research Papers pursues three interrelated objectives: to examine the implications of women’s migration from South Asia to the GCC for domestic work on their families, local communities, and their access to social protection and care in both countries of destination and origin; to deepen understanding of how social security systems in countries of origin and destination should respond to ongoing transformations in the care economy in countries of origin and destination ; and to propose actionable, gender-responsive recommendations for countries of origin and destination on how to better include domestic migrant workers within national care and social security systems.
To achieve these objectives, proposed papers may address, among others, the following research questions:
To what extent are migrant domestic workers protected by labour, social security and care laws and policies in origin and destination countries across South- Asia-GCC corridor?
How do the gaps in the implementation of social protection policies and laws affect migrant domestic workers’ effective access to benefits and services?
How are social protection needs and gaps for domestic workers in the GCC changing in the context of ongoing labour market transformations (e.g. the emergence of new forms of employment in the care sector). How is the nature of domestic work likely to be transformed by emerging care needs across societies in the GCC? What challenges and opportunities do these trends put to the extension of social protection to domestic workers?
What are the short- and long-term repercussions of female labour migration for domestic work in GCC on their wellbeing and those of their families? What are the spillover effects on local communities in countries of origin and destination?
What is the impact of domestic labour migration on care systems in countries of origin? What are the emerging care needs in countries of origin that stem from female labour migrations for domestic work? How do and should social protection and care systems in countries of origin respond to these emerging care needs?
What are possible and innovative solutions to ensure effective access to social security and care to migrant domestic workers and their families in countries of origin and destination?
How to ensure the voice and representation of migrant domestic workers in the formulations, implementation and governance of social protection and care policies in both origin and destination countries?
Instructions for submission and timelines
Researchers are invited to submit a 2-3-page proposal to stream@ilo.org, with a copy to Lea Bou Khater (boukhater@ilo.org) and Karina Levina (levina@ilo.org), by 19 December 2025, with the subject “Call for Papers – Feminist Research on Domestic Work, Care Economy and Social Protection across the South Asia–GCC Corridor. Papers can be national, cross-country, regional or cross-regional in scope.
The paper abstract should include:
Research paper title and main author’s contact details: A clear title; the full name, institutional affiliation and e-mail address of the corresponding author for all correspondence.
Recent CV of the principal author.
Abstract (approximately 1,000 words): A short introduction summarising the research question(s), context and objectives; a description of the methodological approach; and an explanation of the paper’s relevance to the call.
Preliminary findings and conclusions (if available): A brief summary of the observed or expected findings, arguments and conclusions.
If a paper is co-authored: the full name, institutional affiliation and e-mail address of co-author(s). A committee consisting of STREAM Programme team will evaluate submitted proposals on the basis of their originality, quality, innovative thinking, action-orientation and policy relevance. The authors of the selected papers and nominated for the fellowship grant support will be contacted no later than 16 January 2026 and will be invited to submit their full papers by 6 March 2026.
Any questions regarding to the current call for papers can be directed to stream@ilo.org. Please use the subject line “QUESTIONS: Call for Papers – Feminist Research on Domestic Work, Care Economy and Social Protection across the South Asia–GCC Corridor.”
For details, visit https://www.ilo.org/resource/other/call-papers-domestic-work-care-economy-and-social-protection-across-south