Carer’s leave: Women face ‘daughterhood penalty’

Women face being stung with motherhood and ‘daughterhood’ penalties, as a survey shows that two-thirds of people believe women should be the ones to take on the responsibility of caring for elderly parents and relatives.

As the government’s new Carer’s Leave Act came into force at the weekend, entitling workers to one week’s unpaid leave a year to care for a dependant, research by TakingCare, a supplier of personal alarms for the elderly, has shown that one in three women would consider giving up work to care for an older person in their lives.

Data from the 2021 UK Census and TakingCare’s research suggest that as many as 5.7 million people perform unpaid care roles nationwide.

According to Lauren Frake, TakingCare’s elderly care expert, more needs to be done to shine a light on the reality of elderly care in the UK, with studies from the organisation revealing that only two in five people have had a conversation with their elderly loved ones about how they will be cared for when they become older and frailer.

Frake said: “We’re already aware of the so-called ‘motherhood penalty’, which explores the discrimination faced by mothers in various aspects of the workplace, including career advancement, pay, and financial considerations such as pension contributions, but we want to raise awareness of the emerging ‘daughterhood penalty’ in response to some of our recent reports and insights.

“Many women are forced to take time more time off away from their work to care for their elderly loved ones – and with many families not even having the talk about future care plans or needs, many women could face increased emotional and financial stress if they aren’t prepared.

“The introduction of the Carer’s Leave Act is a positive step in the right direction. This act will undoubtedly provide employees with the reassurance that they have the right to take time off from work to care for their elderly relatives.

“However, there is still a large gap to fill in providing support to those balancing full-time employment and family life with the responsibility of caring for elderly family members, with many of these carers being women.”

From 6 April 2024, the Carer’s Leave Act offers employees the entitlement to unpaid leave to give or arrange care for a dependant who has:

• a physical or mental illness or injury meaning they need care for more than three months
• a disability as defined in the Equality Act 2010
• care needs because of their old age.

The dependant does not have to be a family member and can be anyone who relies on them for care.

The report also found that one in two people say they have “no choice” but to care for their elderly parents when they become too frail.

Frake added: “One of the main issues that the UK is currently facing is that elderly care is seen as a taboo topic to many households, with nine out of 10 people saying they have not discussed future care plans with their parents, and 50% of people aged over 50 saying they have not discussed what will happen when their parents become too frail to care for themselves.”

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