Paid Work and Unpaid Caring: A Problem for Women or the State?

Abstract

Over recent years central government, of whatever political persuasion, has become increasingly concerned about problems arising out of the coincidence of two distinct social trends. The first trend is the steadily rising proportion of old and very old people in the British population; by 2001 the number of people over 75 years old is expected to increase by one million to 4.2 million, of whom 1.1 million will be over 85 (Social Trends, Issue 14, 1984, p. 18). This trend has coincided with a rapid and continuing growth in women’s economic participation rates, such that women now make up about 40 per cent of the labour force, compared with 32 per cent in 1961 (ibid, p. 58). Moreover, much of this change in economic activity has been due to the expansion of the service sector, and within that, the social service sector. While these trends do not in any obvious way depend upon each other, their coincidence gives rise to profound problems for the policy-makers of the ‘welfare state’.