CARE WORK?! What can we all do!

Written By Josefine Schulze

Introduction
In the heart of Vienna, the recent WOMENTOR event, "Who Care’s?", stirred impactful discussions around the vital yet undervalued realm of care work and raised the question of “Who actually cares in our societies?!” and “What does care work actually include?”. The event, hosted at The Social Hub Vienna, delved into the societal and economic implications of caregiving, highlighting its central role in addressing climate change and social inequality.

The State of Care Work
Care work, encompassing both social care and environmental stewardship, faces significant challenges. Despite being fundamental to our societal fabric, care workers in Austria and across Europe are often under-resourced and underappreciated. Yet, they persist as agents of change, striving towards a more sustainable and equitable world.

In Austria, like in many other countries, care work encompasses a range of activities from childcare, eldercare, to caring for disabled individuals and other dependents. This work is conducted both in private settings (homes) and professionally within businesses and care institutions. Here’s a breakdown of who typically performs care work in Austria:

 

In Business and Professional Settings

1. Professional Caregivers: These include nurses, professional home carers, and staff at care homes and daycare centers. The workforce in professional care settings tends to be predominantly female. However, there is a growing presence of male caregivers, especially in medical and specialized eldercare roles.

Pfleger Ricardo on his Instagram channel

2. People with migrant background working in Austria: Austria, like many European countries, has a significant number of migrant workers in the care sector. These workers often fill gaps in both formal and informal care, particularly in urban areas where the demand for care workers exceeds local supply.

3. Volunteers: There are also numerous volunteers, often coordinated through various NGOs and community organizations, who provide care, especially in sectors like disability services and eldercare.

 

In Private Lives

  1. Family Members: Traditionally, care work in private settings has been predominantly managed by family members. This usually falls on women, reflecting a broader global trend where gender roles often assign women the primary responsibility for unpaid care work.

  2. Informal Carers: Apart from immediate family, other relatives or friends often participate in providing care, especially in less formalized settings. This is particularly common in rural areas or close-knit communities.

 

Trends and Policy Considerations

  • Aging Population: Austria, with its aging population, faces increasing demand for eldercare. This demographic shift is influencing how care work is structured and the growing professionalization of the sector.

  • Legislation and Support: The Austrian government has initiatives aimed at supporting carers, such as allowances for caregiving relatives and policies intended to improve the integration of care services.

  • Gender Roles and Equality: There is ongoing discussion and policy development aimed at balancing the gender distribution in care work, promoting men’s involvement in care roles, and providing better support and recognition for care workers.

 

The Gender Divide in Care:

Insights from the Austrian Austrian Time Use Survey:

Overall, care work in Austria is marked by a blend of traditional, familial care roles predominantly taken by women, and a professional sector characterized by a mix of local and migrant labor. The sector is under continual development to meet changing societal needs and ensure sustainable, equitable care solutions.
A recent study by Statistik Austria, the "Zeitverwendungserhebung 2021/22," vividly illustrates the gender disparities in unpaid care work:

Women take on roughly 70 %
more unpaid care work compared to men.

This disproportion has only seen marginal improvement since the 1980s, highlighting a persistent gender care gap. The study further notes that if the economic value of this unpaid labor done by women were recognized, it could increase Austria’s GDP by approximately 13% in just one year. This substantial contribution, amounting to about €57 billion in 2022 from women compared to €34 billion by men, underscores the crucial economic role that care work plays and the need for systemic change to acknowledge and support it.

 

The Gender Care Gap

During the panel discussion, Sophie Achleitner, an economist at the Momentum Institut, emphasized, "Despite decades of policy efforts, the gender care gap in Austria remains significant, with women overwhelmingly bearing the burden of unpaid care work." This sentiment is supported by recent research from the Momentum Institut, which highlights that the distribution of unpaid labor in Austria has not seen significant change, with women still performing the lion's share of this essential but unrecognized work [source].

 

Addressing the Gender Care Gap: Practical Actions for Men

To confront the persistent gender disparities in unpaid care work, it’s crucial that individuals, particularly men, play an active role in transforming household dynamics. 

Here’s how men* can contribute significantly to creating a more equitable distribution of care responsibilities:

  • Engage in Open Conversations: Start with open and honest conversations within your household about the division of care and household duties. Recognize and discuss any imbalances, and express a willingness to actively participate in more tasks.

  • Commit to Shared Responsibilities: Actively engage in various aspects of home management and childcare. This might mean alternating who makes doctor’s appointments for the kids, sharing school-related responsibilities, or creating a balanced chore schedule.

  • Advocate for Policy Changes in the Workplace: Champion workplace policies that support all genders in balancing work and life, such as advocating for flexible working arrangements, supporting the introduction of paternity leave, and encouraging parental leave policies that promote shared caregiving responsibilities.

 

Managing Mental Load 

When it comes to Care Work there is another important dimension- Mental Load. It refers to the invisible, yet overwhelming, responsibility of managing household tasks, planning, and ensuring the smooth running of daily life. This cognitive labor includes tasks like remembering to buy groceries, scheduling doctor’s appointments, and organizing family activities. The burden of mental load disproportionately falls on women, adding to their already significant share of physical and emotional caregiving responsibilities.

We went through a hands-on list from Klische*esc e.V. to make visible who is doing what and to what extent. You could not join the event in June? On the website ‘Initiative equal care’ you find more resources to go through at home.

During the "Mental Load" event, participants engaged in hands-on activities and discussions aimed at making the invisible visible. A notable activity was a detailed breakdown of household tasks, inspired by the Klische*esc e.V. list, which helped attendees recognize the extent of their mental load. This exercise underscored the often unacknowledged efforts required to manage a household and highlighted the gender disparities in this aspect of care work.

Experts in the field, including our esteemed speakers, emphasized the importance of recognizing and addressing mental load to achieve a more equitable distribution of care responsibilities. The discussions also touched on practical strategies for balancing mental load within households, such as:

  • Open Communication: Encouraging honest conversations about the distribution of mental and physical tasks.

  • Task Sharing: Promoting a more balanced division of responsibilities between all household members.

  • Advocacy for Change: Supporting policies that recognize and mitigate the impacts of mental load on caregivers.

 

Connecting Mental Load to Broader Care Work Discussions

The "Mental Load" event seamlessly integrated into our ongoing series on care work, shedding light on an often-neglected aspect of caregiving. By addressing mental load, we broaden our understanding of care work beyond the physical tasks, recognizing the cognitive and emotional dimensions that are equally critical. This event reinforced the central theme of our series: the need for systemic change to support all forms of care work, both visible and invisible.

Reflecting on the "Mental Load" event, it is clear that recognizing and addressing the cognitive aspects of care is essential for achieving true equity in caregiving. As we continue our series, we remain committed to highlighting and addressing the multifaceted nature of care work. For those who missed the event, we encourage you to explore resources from the 'Initiative Equal Care' to further understand and manage mental load in your own lives.

Stay tuned for future events and join us in our mission to elevate the conversation around care work and create a more just and balanced society.

 

How you can make a difference when it comes to private and professional Care Work?

  • Advocacy and Lobbying: Engage in campaigns or join forces with advocacy groups that focus on care sector issues. By doing so, you can help bring these issues to the attention of candidates and parties, influencing their platforms and priorities.

  • Inform and Educate: Use your voice on social media, blogs, or community forums to spread awareness about the significance of care work and the policies that need to be adopted or changed. Educating others about the candidates and their stances on these issues can mobilize more voters who care about the same issues.

 

Here are some Wonderful Organizations to Support for their Care-Work:

To further support the care sector, consider contributing your time, voice, money, or other resources to these wonderful organizations:


Stay Informed and Engaged

For more information and to stay engaged with upcoming events, please visit:

 

People to Follow for More Insights on Care Work

Expand your understanding by following these advocates who frequently discuss care work, its challenges, and its critical role in society:

Politicians who care about care-work:

Parental Advices while Care-Giving: 

 

Conclusion

The WOMENTOR event was not just a conversation starter but a call to action to recognize and remunerate care work appropriately. As we continue these discussions, let us all consider how we can contribute to a society that values every form of care as the backbone of a thriving, sustainable world.

 

Join Us

If you missed this enlightening event, join us at our upcoming community get-together on June 25th to further explore these issues. Register now at WOMENTOR Events and follow our updates on Instagram @womentor_at.

Acknowledgments
Special thanks to our incredible speakers Mireille Ngosso, Johannes Naimer-Stach, Sophie Achleitner from MOMENTUM Institute, and the dedicated team at The Social Hub Vienna for making this event a success.

 
Josefine Schulze
Previous

5 Signs You Are Growing – Personally and Professionally!
Next

Introducing AI Empower Lab: The Impact of AI on Gender Inequality in Austria