Unpaid Care, Paid Work and Austerity: A Research Note

The need to pursue austerity measures has been used by the UK's Coalition Government as justification for labour market deregulation alongside reductions in welfare and cuts to public services. Such reforms have resulted in reduced protection for those (women) engaged in low paid, precarious work and the loss of public sector jobs and also run the risk of upsetting the finely-tuned arrangements on which those who provide unpaid care alongside paid work depend. This research note considers the impact of recent reforms on the reconciliation of paid work and unpaid care and challenges the underlying austerity rationale.