Kathia Brenes

Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres - Gobierno de Costa Rica

Profesional Especialista

My name is Kathia Brenes Herrera. I am Costa Rican, married once, and mother to two sons and one daughter. I hold a Law degree and two master’s degrees—one in International Relations and the other in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies—both from Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid, Spain, and recognized respectively by the National University of Costa Rica and the University of Costa Rica. I am currently enrolled in the postgraduate program at the same university, pursuing a PhD in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies. I work at the National Institute for Women (INAMU) as a specialist professional. In recent years, my role has focused on addressing the issue of the social co-responsibility of care at the institutional level. Internally, I am part of the team that supports companies and institutions in the Equality Seal and Best Practices program, specifically in the module on the social co-responsibility of care. In this area, we are updating materials, and I am a co-author of the Conceptual Module for Addressing the Social Co-Responsibility of Care, which will be used by the institution as a framework tool for conceptualizing this topic. I represent INAMU in the Technical Commission of the National Network for Childcare and Development and in the Technical Commission of the National System of Care and Support (SINCA). I also serve as the focal point for Costa Rica in the INAMU–Global Alliance for Care (INMUJERES, Mexico) and the Costa Rica focal contact for UN Women on care-related matters. Through my institutional work, I advocate for care as a fundamental element of women’s economic autonomy and emphasize the importance of recognizing the contribution of care work to the economic and social development of countries.