Combining work and family life: the pension penalty of caring

This paper uses work and caring history information from the British Family and Working Lives Survey (1994/5) to examine the provision of family care and its impact upon the employment and the subsequent state and private pension entitlement among mid-life men and women. Combining paid employment wi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ageing and society 2003-09, Vol.23 (5), p.583-601
Main Authors: EVANDROU, MARIA, GLASER, KAREN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ageing
Care of the aged
Caregiver Burden
Carers
Caring
Demography
Employment
Families & family life
Family life
Family Policy
Family Work Relationship
Great Britain
Labor Policy
Low pay
Middle age
Middle Aged Adults
Middle aged people
Pension schemes
Pensions
Social and economic security
Social conditions & trends
Social policy
United Kingdom
work-life balance
Workers
Working hours
Working Men
Working Women
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper uses work and caring history information from the British Family and Working Lives Survey (1994/5) to examine the provision of family care and its impact upon the employment and the subsequent state and private pension entitlement among mid-life men and women. Combining paid employment with care-giving was not an option for a significant minority of women with caring responsibilities in mid-life. One-in-five mid-life women who have ever had caring responsibilities reported that, upon starting caring, they stopped work altogether, and another one-in-five reported that they worked fewer hours, earned less money or could only work restricted hours. Fewer men and women who stopped work as a result of caring were members of an occupational pension scheme than other groups; and they had accumulated fewer years of contributions than their counterparts who continued working, with direct implications for their level of pension income in later life. The extension of employers' schemes to help workers balance paid work and family responsibilities would facilitate more carers remaining in the labour market, as would an explicit carers' dimension within the new ‘Working Tax Credit’. Consideration should also be given to extending credits for second tier pensions to working carers who provide care for over 16 hours a week and who earn below the lower earnings limit. This will ensure that carers who juggle low paid work and care are not penalised for working, and that their unpaid contribution to society is recognised.
ISSN:0144-686X
1469-1779
DOI:10.1017/S0144686X03001314