Social care - a woman’s work will not be done

[Biscuitsanddoombar]

Lots of rumours emerging from around Whitehall that the government’s favoured solution to social care will be families taking in more care of their elderly parents.

Realistically this means women being expected to take it on.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/18/if-boris-johnson-has-his-way-a-womans-work-will-truly-never-be-done

Snap! Just posted this article too.

So very depressing and regressive.

I assume they'll be paying us a decent salary.

I'll give you a few hours to finish laughing.

Aaaaand of course it's always women. No one asking how we can make it easier for men to give up work for caring, because presumably they're too busy fighting and hunting to do cleaning, bum-wiping and feeding like women.

When things change it's women who are expected to just get on with it.

Over and over.

Need more people in work? Get the women in. Things change and less jobs? Off you go.

Austerity had a bigger negative impact for women.

Covid- women just sort of expected to sort the childcare even if 2 parents both working.

I haven't seen what he actually said. I'll have a Google.

Yeah, they tried this in the last but one election. Lots of nasty emotional manipulation about families abandoning their relatives and the cost to the state.
It makes my blood boil.

You can bet it will only be one kind of 'person' who carries the load (speaking from experience).
Catherine Bennett nailed it in that article.

Caring for elderly relatives is something over two million women in their 50s and 60s do every day. They are now also expected to also work full time untill they are 66 or 67. Currently the only help available if they give up work or reduce working hours is £67 a week for those caring more than 35 and earning less than about £120 a week. Nothing for those earning more or caring for fewer hours.

Shouldn't feminists be supporting any initiatives that will make life easier for those women?

Carers are the invisible army. Carers of elderly relatives, carers of disabled children and relatives. Mostly women.

I look to my future, 2 in laws who both already have health needs as they enter their late 70’s, me and my sister in law have already predicted that we will be responsible for their care. Purely economics, we both reduced our work while having children so our husbands earn more. So financially it’s makes sense that we would end up reducing hours etc.

Women get stuck in this damaging cycle.

Makes me mad and no one seems to be angry about it!

I'm assuming most people here are familiar with Invisible Women, but if not, do give it a read. It's eye-opening even if you already know how shit things are for women

@Thingybob

Caring for elderly relatives is something over two million women in their 50s and 60s do every day. They are now also expected to also work full time untill they are 66 or 67. Currently the only help available if they give up work or reduce working hours is £67 a week for those caring more than 35 and earning less than about £120 a week. Nothing for those earning more or caring for fewer hours.

Shouldn't feminists be supporting any initiatives that will make life easier for those women?

Not just in their 50s and 60s. I’m in a 30s and I’m struggling to care for a 1 yr and 4 yr old and my parents.

I'm sorry you've had to take on care for your parents at such a young age Thatwentbadly and I wasn't intending to exclude those that are younger. I was just pointing out the figures taken from the paper linked in the article, that a huge percentage of older women in their 50s and 60s (up to 50%) are currently caring for elderly relatives. Feminist rhetotic about men doing their share of the care does nothing to help those women, or indeed people like you in their 30s.

@Thingybob I wasn’t offended or trying to annoy you. It’s so much easier to portray meaning in person. I was just pointing out that a lot falls on women - although looking back on it I was a child care without anyone noticing it or without me knowing it was a thing. I agree there is too much expected of families, or specifically of women, to just manage in difficult situations.

There’ll be plenty of arguments along the lines of ‘well men can do caring too’ and ‘my husband does it why can’t everyone else’s?’ just like we saw on here during lockdown. Irrelevant arguments that totally ignore the fact that what could happen or sometimes happens does not reflect reality for the vast majority of women.

As if that would work with the housing crisis! Many families can't afford to live near to each other. And goodness knows what Boris thinks will happen to people without children.

It wouldn't work anyhow. A lot of the care needed is beyond the ability and experience of someone untrained.