Women and ethnic minorities suffer impact of juggling care and work

To continue reading please register or login to your OHW+ account.

Women are bearing the brunt of caring responsibilities, with almost six out of 10 avoiding applying for promotion because it was too hard to balance work and care.
Research from Business in the Community carried out by Ipsos revealed that one in five women (19%) have left a job because of difficulties balancing work with caring responsibilities. Women account for 85% of sole carers for children, and 65% of sole carers for older adults.
Its Who Cares? report found that workers from black, Asian, mixed race or other ethnically diverse groups are disproportionately affected, according to BITC. One in two who have caring responsibilities say they have been unable to pursue certain jobs or promotions, while a third have left or considered leaving a job due to lack of flexibility. By comparison, one in five (21%) white people have done the same.
Over a third (35%) of all adults and 44% of working adults have caring responsibilities. The proportion of people from ethnic minority backgrounds who care for a child or adult is higher, at 42%.
While 94% of those surveyed by Ipsos felt caring responsibilities should be spread equally, 52% of women said they did more than their fair share, and 30% of men admitted to doing less. One in five men said caring responsibilities had stopped them applying for a job or promotion.

Women make up over half of the lone carers for all groups, including 85% of lone carers for children, 54% of lone carers for working age adults, and 65% of lone carers for older adults. People who care for older adults (68%) are less likely to feel supported than those with childcare responsibilities (78%) or caring for working age adults (77%).
That said, more men than women (22% vs 1