Gender labor segregation in the care economy: needs research and solutions

Abstract

 The purpose of the research to determine the needs and workload of people who provide free care for their elderly relatives at home.   Methodology – a mixed method was applied, which included an electronic individual questionnaire with open and closed questions among 201 residents of Kazakhstani urban and rural areas.   Originality / value of the research - the first study in Kazakhstan aimed at identifying the needs and the time use of people engaged in unpaid care for their elderly relatives.   Findings: A social and demographic portrait of a caregiver for an older adult at home was composed, the share of institutional, paid and unpaid care in households and the distribution of household workload between spouses were estimated, and the perception of gender equality in families was defi ned. The study showed that the basic needs of people caring for their older relatives at home included benefi ts and payments, services of a public social worker /compensation for care assistant services, a solid pension, an increase in the caregiver’s social status, free medicines and medical care. A shortage of institutional care services for older people in Kazakhstan has been identifi ed, and recommendations for developing a national care system have been proposed.