Unpaid supervisory care pertains to the on-call time linked to providing unpaid care services, where a caregiver is not directly interacting with the care recipient but is in close proximity and readily available to offer direct care if needed. Supervisory care can apply to children below a certain age or to adults needing assistance with daily routines. It includes periods when the care-dependent individual is self-engaged or sleeping, and when the caregiver is resting or involved in other activities, possibly remunerated.

This brief highlights the importance of measuring supervisory care, UN Women's efforts in ensuring that methodological standards are in place and promoting better measurement, and the value of this work in advancing the Beyond GDP agenda, which seeks to
measure societal progress through metrics that capture
well-being, sustainability, and equity.