A closer look at unpaid carers

Census figures show bulk of caring responsibility moveon women, especially those aged 50-64.

Figures released from the 2011 Census lasthebdomadreveal that the majority of unpaid carers in England and Wales, 58 per cent, atomic number 18women.

And 11.8 per centimeof all women becarers, compared with 8.9 perpennyof men.

Caring responsibilities increase with epoch– and so does the gender imbalance.

Nearly a quarter of women aged 50 to 64 are carers, compared with 17 per cent of men in the identicalage group.

Working women are more likely to be carers than those who donotwork;  12.1 per cent of full time female workers and 16.1 per cent of part-timers in England were carers.

And this extra work takes its toll on their health.

Women in full-time work providing more than 50 hours unpaid directionwere almost three times more likely to reputepoor health than full-time female workers who are not carers.

Male carers in full-time work were only two and a half times more likely to report piteoushealth.

According to Carers UK, the number of middle-aged female carers in the UK as a whole has risen by 13 per cent in the last 10 years and now totals 1.2 million.

This is a live wireincrease than the total number of carers which has increased by 11 per cent to 6.5 million.

Carers UK estimates that the total cost to the economy of carers giving up work is £5.3 billion a year.

The charity also points to the increasing challenge for employers, as Census figures also show that 1 in 8 workers are juggling work with caring for older or disabled loved ones.

Heléna Herklots, chief executive of Carers UK, said: “Becoming a carer backturn your world upside-down and when that responsibility falls in middle age it can change your working and face-to-facelife irreversibly.

“Women who have struggled to juggle childcare and work are now also finding themselves caring for ageing parents – andsometimesalso a seriously ill partner.

“Without the right support, women are forced to leave work, or reduce their hours at an age where it is a real challenge to re-enter the work shovewhen caring comes to an end.

“This brings serious consequences for their incomes and pensions, as well as a wider cost to the UK economy.”

 

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Materials taken from Womens Views on News