{"title":"Parental Caregivers and Household Power Dynamics","authors":"Ray Miller, N. Bairoliya","doi":"10.1080/13545701.2021.1975793","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Do parental caregivers bear the entire cost of caregiving? Standard cooperative models of the household suggest the welfare burden of care would be distributed across household members (for example, husband and wife). This study develops a simple collective model of intrahousehold bargaining to analyze the time and resource allocation decisions associated with providing unpaid care to an elderly parent. The study argues that if bargaining power is endogenously determined or labor markets are rigid, the welfare cost of caregiving can fall disproportionately on the woman partner, resulting in a “triple burden” of market work, home production, and caregiving, in addition to higher levels of unmet care needs. The study provides a numerical example using cross-country European data to demonstrate how a decrease in an adult daughter's bargaining power relative to her partner can increase her share of the welfare burden and the unmet care needs of her parent. HIGHLIGHTS Intrahousehold bargaining determines the welfare costs of unpaid caregiving. Labor market rigidities have nuanced effects on the division of the welfare burden. Flexible hours/leave policies could provide relief to both caregivers and recipients. Lower wage gaps and shifting social norms may promote a more equitable division of care.","PeriodicalId":47715,"journal":{"name":"Feminist Economics","volume":"28 1","pages":"114 - 144"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2021-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"5","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Feminist Economics","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2021.1975793","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 5
Abstract
Do parental caregivers bear the entire cost of caregiving? Standard cooperative models of the household suggest the welfare burden of care would be distributed across household members (for example, husband and wife). This study develops a simple collective model of intrahousehold bargaining to analyze the time and resource allocation decisions associated with providing unpaid care to an elderly parent. The study argues that if bargaining power is endogenously determined or labor markets are rigid, the welfare cost of caregiving can fall disproportionately on the woman partner, resulting in a “triple burden” of market work, home production, and caregiving, in addition to higher levels of unmet care needs. The study provides a numerical example using cross-country European data to demonstrate how a decrease in an adult daughter's bargaining power relative to her partner can increase her share of the welfare burden and the unmet care needs of her parent. HIGHLIGHTS Intrahousehold bargaining determines the welfare costs of unpaid caregiving. Labor market rigidities have nuanced effects on the division of the welfare burden. Flexible hours/leave policies could provide relief to both caregivers and recipients. Lower wage gaps and shifting social norms may promote a more equitable division of care.
期刊介绍:
Feminist Economics is a peer-reviewed journal that provides an open forum for dialogue and debate about feminist economic perspectives. By opening new areas of economic inquiry, welcoming diverse voices, and encouraging critical exchanges, the journal enlarges and enriches economic discourse. The goal of Feminist Economics is not just to develop more illuminating theories but to improve the conditions of living for all children, women, and men. Feminist Economics: -Advances feminist inquiry into economic issues affecting the lives of children, women, and men -Examines the relationship between gender and power in the economy and the construction and legitimization of economic knowledge -Extends feminist theoretical, historical, and methodological contributions to economics and the economy -Offers feminist insights into the underlying constructs of the economics discipline and into the historical, political, and cultural context of economic knowledge -Provides a feminist rethinking of theory and policy in diverse fields, including those not directly related to gender -Stimulates discussions among diverse scholars worldwide and from a broad spectrum of intellectual traditions, welcoming cross-disciplinary and cross-country perspectives, especially from countries in the South