Unpaid work and conformity: why care?

Della Giusta, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3959-4451 and Jewell, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4413-6618 (2015) Unpaid work and conformity: why care? Cambridge Journal of Economics, 39 (3). pp. 689-710. ISSN 1464-3545 doi: 10.1093/cje/beu061

Abstract/Summary

We study the supply of unpaid eldercare (in particular caring for parents) in the UK, focusing on both the division of care and caring tasks by gender and the effect of conformity to social norms in relation to caring. We then investigate the effect of the amount of care on the well-being of caregivers and whether agreeing with the care norm enhances their well-being. Our results suggest that the eldercare reform neglects important aspects underlying the distribution of care hours and care tasks between caregivers and may potentially worsen intrahousehold inequality in earnings and well-being, in particular, between men and women.