scholarly journals Measuring and Understanding Unpaid Care and Domestic Work: Household Care Survey Toolkit

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Rost ◽  
Amber Parkes ◽  
Andrea Azevedo
Keyword(s):  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Domestic Work ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Unpaid Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Care Survey ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
The Impact

This toolkit provides guidance on using Oxfam’s Household Care Survey (HCS) methodology, which was developed by Oxfam as part of the WE-Care initiative to transform the provision of unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW). UCDW underpins all our lives yet is overwhelmingly provided by women and girls. Recognising UCDW is essential for any initiative that aims to understand and address gender inequality. The HCS is a quantitative survey tool that generates context-specific evidence on how women, men and children spend their time, how care is provided, by whom, and the main factors that affect people’s responsibilities for UCDW, such as access to care services, infrastructure and social norms. The HCS can be used to generate a baseline, or to measure the impact of a specific policy or programme. The methodology can be integrated into different projects with different objectives and adjusted for use in various contexts. The HCS toolkit is designed to be used by development practitioners, policy makers, employers, academics and researchers. Part A provides guidance for planning, collecting, analysing and using HCS data. Part B provides guidance for understanding, adjusting and using the HCS questions. Both sections should be read before undertaking the survey.

Combining employment and care-giving: how differing care intensities influence employment patterns among middle-aged women in Germany

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 925-943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadiya Kelle
Keyword(s):  
Cox Regression ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Unpaid Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
Employed Women ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractGiven an ageing population and increased participation by women in the labour force, the relationship between unpaid care and the availability of women to the labour force is gaining in importance as an issue. This article assesses the impact of unpaid care on transitions into employment by women aged between 45 and 59 years. It uses the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) from the years 2001–2014 to estimate Cox regression models for 6,201 employed women. The results indicate that women with higher caring responsibilities and women with lower caring responsibilities are heterogeneous in terms of the socio-economic characteristics that they exhibit: higher-intensity care providers tend to have a lower level of educational attainment and a weaker attachment to the labour force than women with less-intensive caring responsibilities. Furthermore, while women with more-intensive caring roles are highly likely to exit the labour market altogether, female carers with less-intensive roles seem to be able to combine work and care better. These results highlight the importance of providing more affordable institutional and professional care services, especially for low- and medium-income families.

scholarly journals Gender differences in the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on unpaid care work and psychological distress in the UK

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baowen Xue ◽  
Anne McMunn
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Care Work ◽  
Work Patterns ◽  
Unpaid Care ◽  
Lone Mothers ◽  
Employment Schedules ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

School and nursery closures and homeworking during the Covid-19 crisis have resulted in an immediate increase in unpaid care work, particularly for parents. Amongst contemporary couples in the UK, women spent more time than men doing housework, childcare and caring for adults prior to the crisis; thus, lockdown draws new attention to gender inequality in divisions of unpaid care work. This study aims to answer how couples in the UK divided childcare and housework during lockdown and whether this is associated with changes in levels of psychological distress. Data for this study come from the April and May waves of Understanding Society Covid-19 study. Psychological distress was measured using the GHQ score (ranges from 0 to 36). Unpaid care work included men and women’s hours spent on childcare and housework and the impact of increased unpaid care work on employment schedules. We found that every week, women spent 5 more hours on housework and 10 more hours on childcare than men during lockdown, and this increased housework and childcare was associated with higher levels of psychological distress for women. One-third of parents adapted their work patterns because of childcare/ homeschooling. Men and women who adapted their work patterns had on average 1.16 and 1.39 higher GHQ scores than those who did not. This association was much stronger if he or she was the only member in the household who adapted their work patterns, or if she was a lone mother. Only 10% of fathers reduced work hours due to care work compared to 20% of mothers. Fathers had more psychological distress if they reduced work hours but she did not, compared to neither reducing work hours. Our research suggests that lockdown has hit people with young families and lone mothers particularly hard in terms of mental health, and continued gender inequality in divisions of unpaid care work during lockdown may be putting women at a greater risk of psychological distress.

scholarly journals Gender Inequality and Adaptive Capacity: The Role of Social Capital on the Impacts of Climate Change in Vietnam

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loan Phan ◽  
Sue Jou ◽  
Jun-Hua Lin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

Climate change has exacerbated gender inequality, and women are a vulnerable group. Previous research attributed this to physical gender differences, gender differences in ownership and control of natural resources, and socioeconomic status. We used a survey of 99 participants, seven focus group discussions, and 13 in-depth interviews in a coastal community in Vietnam to gain insight into the roots of gender inequality in the capacity to adapt to climate change. We analysed the role of social capital in regulating and mobilising other livelihood assets from a gendered perspective and found that gender norms explain the division and interactions of men and women in formal and informal networks. Based on our results, we suggest that policy-makers should pay more attention to gender issues when proposing climate change policies and reducing the gender imbalance in the impact of climate change adaptation.

scholarly journals The Grandmothers’ Farewell to Childcare Provision under China’s Two-Child Policy: Evidence from Guangzhou Middle-Class Families

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-46
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Zhong ◽  
Minggang Peng
Keyword(s):  
Middle Class ◽  
Chinese Women ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
Family Policies ◽  
Unpaid Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Child Policy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Middle Class Families

As China’s one-child policy is replaced by the two-child policy, young Chinese women and their spouses are increasingly concerned about who will take care of the ‘second child.’ Due to the absence of public childcare services and the rising cost of privatised care services in China, childcare provision mainly relies on families, such that working women’s choices of childbirth, childcare and employment are heavily constrained. To deal with structural barriers, young urban mothers mobilise grandmothers as joint caregivers. Based on interviews with Guangzhou middle-class families, this study examines the impact of childcare policy reform since 1978 on childbirth and childcare choices of women. It illustrates the longstanding contributions and struggles of women, particularly grandmothers, engaged in childcare. It also shows that intergenerational parenting involves a set of practices of intergenerational intimacy embedded in material conditions, practical acts of care, moral values and power dynamics. We argue that the liberation, to some extent, of young Chinese mothers from childcare is at the expense of considerable unpaid care work from grandmothers rather than being driven by increased public care services and improved gender equality in domestic labour. Given the significant stress and seriously constrained choices in later life that childcare imposes, grandmothers now become reluctant to help rear a second grandchild. This situation calls for changes in family policies to increase the supply of affordable and good-quality childcare services, enhance job security in the labour market, provide supportive services to grandmothers and, most importantly, prioritise the wellbeing of women and families over national goals.

scholarly journals Addressing Unpaid Care and Domestic Work for a Gender-equal and Inclusive Kenya: WE-Care policy briefing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Oloo ◽  
Amber Parkes
Keyword(s):  
Care Work ◽  
Development Economic ◽  
Care Programme ◽  
Unpaid Care ◽  
Time Poverty ◽  
Social And Economic Development ◽  
Marginalized Women ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

Care work is the heartbeat of every society: it contributes to our wellbeing as a nation and is crucial for our social and economic development. Yet the disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care work results in time poverty and significant opportunity costs, particularly among the poorest and most marginalized women and girls. This policy brief outlines why unpaid care work is a critical development, economic and gender equality issue for Kenya. It draws on two sets of evidence from Oxfam’s Women’s Economic Empowerment and Care (WE-Care) programme, which explore the impact of women and girls’ heavy and unequal unpaid care responsibilities both before and during COVID-19.

scholarly journals Utilisation of Personal Care Services in Scotland: the Influence of Unpaid Carers

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Lemmon
Keyword(s):  
Social Care ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Routine Data ◽  
Formal Care ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Unpaid Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Scotland is unique in its collection of routine data for all individuals in receipt of social care services. This care encompasses home and personal care services, down to telecare and meals services. As the Scottish population continues to age and local authorities stretch shrinking budgets over an increasing number of people, there is a pressing need to understand how older people use these services to ensure they are delivered in an efficient and effective way. The availability of administrative data in Scotland provides an opportunity to explore how it might be used in a research setting to enhance this understanding. One area of interest concerns the relationship between unpaid care and formal care services. In particular, how unpaid carers might influence older peoples use of formal care services. Whether this influence is positive or negative will have important implications for the costs of care provision. The existing evidence on the impact of unpaid care on social care utilisation is extremely mixed. Scotland provides an interesting context in which to study this relationship because unlike many other jurisdictions, personal care in Scotland is provided free to all individuals aged 65+ who are assessed as needing it. This may affect the incentives faced by unpaid carers, leading to different conclusions about the relationship between unpaid and paid care, compared to previous literature. This paper uses Scotland's unique administrative Social Care Survey (SCS) for the years 2014-2016 to investigate how the presence of an unpaid carer influences personal care use by those aged 65+ in Scotland. The results suggest that unpaid care complements personal care services. Complementarity between unpaid and paid care may imply that incentivising unpaid care could increase personal care costs, and at the same time it points to the potential for unmet need of those who do not have an unpaid carer. The paper highlights some of the limitations of the administrative SCS but also demonstrates how it can be used in an effective way to enhance our understanding in an important, policy relevant area.

scholarly journals The COVID-19 Virus Wears Stiletto: Review of Gendered Socio-economic Impacts and Implications of the Corona virus Pandemic on Women and Girls in Zimbabwe

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 380-387
Author(s):  
Ruvarashe Chigiya-Mujeni
Keyword(s):  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Multiple Roles ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Global North ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Impact ◽  
North And South ◽  
Desk Review

Background: With its ability to mutate and take charge of its hosts’ respiratory organs, COVID-19 has ravaged the global north and south alike. The world’s greatest economies are crumbling and death tolls continue to rise exponentially. The most recent strain of the coronavirus has spread like wildfire, sparing neither the rich nor the poor. It is pertinent, however, to note that natural disasters do not affect members of society unilaterally. Women, children and the disabled interact with global and national disasters differently, highlighting the urgent need to take cognizance of the various elements that constitute the measures drafted and implemented to tackle the spread and impact of these disasters. Objective:This paper seeks to demonstrate these intricacies based on the webinar seminar held in March 2020 by UN Women in Zimbabwe and discuss the impact and implications of this virus on women and girls in Zimbabwe and bring out the challenges faced as they fight the virus in various socioeconomic settings Methods: A desk review approach was used to highlight the various gender dimensions surrounding the coronavirus and its implications on women and girls in Zimbabwe. Results: Women, due to their multiple roles and biological makeup, are more vulnerable to succumb to this disease and besides their biological disposition women are impacted differently and negatively by the pandemic. Conclusions: There is a need to take a holistic approach in dealing with issues of the pandemic without ignoring the fact that women are on the receiving end. Implications: This paper is useful to policy makers, institutions working on COVID-19 and government to take necessary actions. Originality: This paper is original and not sent anywhere else for the publication.

Markets for Purchased Farm Inputs

2005 ◽  
pp. 60-71
Author(s):  
E. Serova ◽  
O. Shick
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Policy ◽  
Financial Constraints ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Animal Feed ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Market Institutions ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Government Organizations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Farm Inputs

Russian policy makers argue that agriculture suffers from decapitalization due to financial constraints faced by producers. This view is the basis for the national agricultural policy, which emphasizes reimbursement of input costs and substitutes government and quasi-government organizations for missing market institutions. The article evaluates the availability of purchased farm inputs, the efficiency of their use, the main problems in the emergence of market institutions, and the impact of government policies. The analysis focuses on five groups of purchased inputs: farm machinery, fertilizers, fuel, seeds, and animal feed. The information sources include official statistics and data from two original surveys.

Managing Service Quality, Food Quality, Price Fairness and Customer Retention: A Holistic Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Ammar Ahmed ◽  
Rafat Naseer ◽  
Muhammad Asadullah ◽  
Hadia Khan
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Food Quality ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Customer Retention ◽  
Price Fairness ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Restaurant Management ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Research Propositions ◽  
The Impact

In this competitive environment, organizations strive to satisfy their customer by providing best quality service at affordable and fair prices with a view to enhance their revenues. To achieve the objective of revenue maximization, organizations strive to identify the factors that help them in retaining their customers. Drawing from the signalling theory of marketing, the current study proposes a novel conceptual model representing the impact of service quality with food quality and price fairness on customer retention in restaurant sector of Pakistan. The paper underlines an important arena of knowledge for academicians as well as organizational scientists on the subject. On the basis of literature available on the variables understudy, the present study forwards eight research propositions worthy of urgent scholarly attention. The conceptualized model of the present article can also be viewed significant in unleashing further avenues for the restaurant management entities, policy makers and future researchers in the domain of managing in the service sector businesses.

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