Thinking about the Production and Consumption of Long-term Care in Britain: Does Gender Still Matter?

Abstract

This article suggests that the literature on care, which originally was heavily influenced by a gendered perspective, has now taken on other important variables. However, it is argued that if we look at the particular impact of the marketisation and privatisation of long-term care, we can see that gender is still a useful perspective on the production of care, especially paid care. The reordering of the delivery of domiciliary care within the ‘mixed economy of welfare’ is having important effects on the labour market for care and is likely to lead to further inequalities between women, both now and in old age. The article proceeds to look at the impact of these inequalities on the consumption of care in old age, particularly by elderly women and considers factors that may provide women with the resources to purchase care and/or pay charges for care. The article argues that gender does still matter, but that its impact has to be understood within a context of growing inequalities between women, and an analysis that takes account of wider social and economic relations within kin networks and between generations.

Narrative collisions, sociocultural pressures and dementia: the relational basis of personhood reconsidered

“…For example, caring is defined as a natural female role associated with nurturing, maternal values (Ungerson, 2000;Coston and Kimmel, 2013). This impinges upon female identity, defining feminine subjectivity as well as moral worthiness (Paoletti, 2002).…”

Rhetoric and reality of daily life in English care homes: the role of organised activities

“…In reality, care staff have little time to accommodate choice, autonomy or individuality; they have a job to do and according to both LeeTreweek (1997) and Ungerson (2000), a ''product to produce''. Supporting and undertaking ADLs are vital to the daily well-being of care home residents and central to the work undertaken by care staff.…”

The Gender Informal Care Gap

“…This suggests that also the type, configuration and timing of care service policies might influence the gender distribution of informal care. This might include the policy choice for institutional or formal home care services (Ungerson 2000), the support of the employment of migrant workers in households (Kvist 2012), or the moment in time at which services were introduced or extended (Béland and Durandal 2013). Further research should focus on these factors.…”