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Work - life imbalance: Informal care and paid employment in the UK

Author

Listed:
  • Fiona Carmichael
  • Claire Hulme
  • Sally Sheppard
  • Gemma Connell

Abstract

In the United Kingdom, informal carers look after relatives or friends who need extra support because of age, physical or learning disability, or illness. The burden of informal care work falls on women, who often care for longer hours and durations than men. This paper considers the impact that caring responsibilities have on women's employment. The research is based on a dedicated questionnaire and in-depth interviews with informal caregivers. The results suggest that carers' employment is affected by the duration of a caring episode, financial considerations, the needs of the person they care for, carers' beliefs about the compatibility of informal care and paid work, and employers' willingness to accommodate carers' needs. Overall, the research confirms that informal carers continue to face difficulties when they try to combine employment and care in spite of recent policy initiatives designed to help them.

Suggested Citation

  • Fiona Carmichael & Claire Hulme & Sally Sheppard & Gemma Connell, 2008. "Work - life imbalance: Informal care and paid employment in the UK," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(2), pages 3-35.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:14:y:2008:i:2:p:3-35
    DOI: 10.1080/13545700701881005
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Giménez-Nadal, José Ignacio & Molina, José Alberto & Velilla, Jorge, 2020. "Should we cheer together? Gender differences in instantaneous well-being during joint and solo activities: An application to COVID-19 lockdowns," GLO Discussion Paper Series 736, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    2. Heger, Dörte & Korfhage, Thorben, 2017. "Does the negative effect of caregiving on work persist over time?," Ruhr Economic Papers 703, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    3. José Ignacio Giménez-Nadal & José Alberto Molina & Jorge Velilla, 2023. "Should We Cheer Together? Gender Differences in Instantaneous Well-being: An Application to COVID-19 Lockdowns," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 529-562, February.
    4. Gimenez-Nadal, José Ignacio & Molina, José Alberto & Velilla, Jorge, 2020. "Should We Cheer Together? Gender Differences in Instantaneous Well-Being during Joint and Solo Activities," IZA Discussion Papers 13306, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Schulz, Erika, 2014. "Impact of Ageing on Long-Term Care Workforce in Denmark," EconStor Preprints 128603, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    6. Andreas Kotsadam, 2012. "The employment costs of caregiving in Norway," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 269-283, December.
    7. Katharine Venter, 2011. "Fathers ‘Care’ Too: The Impact of Family Relationships on the Experience of Work for Parents of Disabled Children," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 16(3), pages 66-81, August.
    8. Siobhan Austen & Rachel Ong & Therese Jefferson & Rhonda Sharp & Gill Lewin, 2013. "Elder care and the employment intentions of mature age women," Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre Working Paper series WP1310, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School.
    9. Geyer, J.; Korfhage, T.;, 2017. "Long-term care reform and the labor supply of informal caregivers – evidence from a quasi-experiment," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 17/20, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    10. Dörte Heger & Thorben Korfhage, 2020. "Short- and Medium-Term Effects of Informal Eldercare on Labor Market Outcomes," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(4), pages 205-227, October.
    11. Bauer, Jan Michael & Sousa-Poza, Alfonso, 2015. "Impacts of Informal Caregiving on Caregiver Employment, Health, and Family," IZA Discussion Papers 8851, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Kotsadam, Andreas, 2009. "Effects of informal eldercare on female labor supply in different European welfare states," Working Papers in Economics 353, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    13. Carmichael, F. & Charles, S. & Hulme, C., 2010. "Who will care? Employment participation and willingness to supply informal care," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 182-190, January.
    14. Cristina Vilaplana Prieto & Sergi Jiménez-Martín, 2015. "Unmet needs in formal care: kindling the spark for caregiving behavior," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 153-184, June.
    15. Lilly, Meredith B. & Laporte, Audrey & Coyte, Peter C., 2010. "Do they care too much to work? The influence of caregiving intensity on the labour force participation of unpaid caregivers in Canada," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 895-903, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Caregiving; labor supply; unpaid work; JEL Codes: D13; J14; J17;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • J17 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Value of Life; Foregone Income

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