Association of Elderly People calls for the recognition of care work in old age and consideration in national economic accounting
Vienna (OTS) – Equal Care Day, which is celebrated every leap year on February 29, is dedicated to invisible and unpaid work that is predominantly carried out by women. On the occasion of this year's Equal Care Day, Ingrid Korosec, President of the Association of Elderly People, regrets that the unequal distribution of this essential work between genders has barely changed.
Unpaid work spans all generations and, at almost 22 percent, represents almost a quarter of Austria's economic output. “It all starts with the unequal distribution of care work in the relationship, where statistically women still do the majority of domestic work, and continues in the invisible and unpaid care work of mothers well into old age. Elderly women are often not only responsible for taking care of their grandchildren, but also their husbands, partners, relatives or friends,” explains Korosec.
However, this inequality not only manifests itself in an immediate burden, but also has far-reaching financial and professional consequences, according to the President of the Association of Elderly People. When looking at the gender pension gap, the far-reaching consequences become particularly clear. Unequal distribution creates a discrepancy in income, wealth, time and influence between men and women.
Korosec not only calls for mandatory automatic pension sharing, but also for better protection and recognition of private care work in general. “Care work must be duly taken into account in the provision of old-age care and its contributions must be integrated into national economic accounts”, emphasizes Korosec. She also advocates creating adequate support structures for informal caregivers in order to ease the burden on women.
“Care work is not just systemically relevant – it is the foundation of our system! This is why women’s care work must finally receive the appreciation it deserves!” concludes Korosec.
Questions and contact:
Austrian Association of Elderly People
Ela Steiner
Press officer
+43 664/967 68 52
[email protected]
https://www.seniorenbund.at