Hidden care(e)rs: supporting informal carers in the workplace

Oldridge, L. ORCID: 0000-0001-9915-9959, 2019. Hidden care(e)rs: supporting informal carers in the workplace. In: S. Nachmias ORCID: 0000-0001-7071-0997 and V. Caven ORCID: 0000-0003-2047-2198, eds., Inequality and organizational practice. Volume II: Employment relations. Palgrave explorations in workplace stigma (PAEWS) . Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 105-127. ISBN 9783030116460

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Abstract

The UK has an ageing population; people are not only living longer, but doing so with health problems and the government has been investing less in adult social care (Petrie and Kirkup 2018; Grierson 2017; Pickard 2008). This has resulted in an ever-increasing, and unrecognised, reliance on care provided on an informal basis, by friends and family. The highest provision of this care is provided by mid-life women (aged 50 – 64) (ONS 2011). Furthermore, 13.3 per cent of employed women overall combine work and care (ONS 2011). Previous research has demonstrated that carers reduce the number of hours they work, level of responsibility, or even leave their jobs (Carers UK 2018; Waters 2008; Yeandle et al 2007). This chapter offers an examination of existing legislation and literature on supporting working carers. It reviews findings from interviews conducted in 2016 with 30 women aged 45 – 65 across Leicestershire who combined work and care, with reference to their careers, organisational and line manager support. This is particularly significant given the large quantities of mid-life women caring, alongside careers commentary seeing women of this age at their professional peak, and the government keen to encourage older workers to remain active in the labour market (Kirton and Greene 2016). The chapter is relevant to both academic and practitioner audiences and concludes that current practices provide insufficient support and contribute to the ongoing factor of caring being a ‘hidden’ inequality in workplaces. As a result, it closes with recommendations for employers and policy makers.

Item Type:	Chapter in book
Creators:	Oldridge, L.
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Place of Publication:	Cham, Switzerland
Date:	2019
ISBN:	9783030116460
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1007/978-3-030-11647-7_5 DOI
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Business School
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	16 Jul 2019 12:48
Last Modified:	10 Mar 2022 03:00
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/37099

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