Such a busy day again. So tonight I’m going to post a link to an article by Melinda Gates in today’s Financial Times, which pretty much sums up what I’ve thought for ages.
I’ve often thought about doing a blogpost which would detail the value of unpaid carers to society. Think about the (very approximate) annual salaries of the professionals who would charge for their time instead of carrying out these tasks for free:
Live in Nanny: £25,000 per annum
Chauffeur: £26,000 per annum
Cook: £10.00 per hour
Cleaner: £10.00 per hour
Dog walker: £10.00 per hour
Babysitter: £ 7.00 per hour
Tutor: £21,000 per annum
Nurse: £23,000 per annum
PA: £25,000 per annum
Lifecoach: £24,000 per annum
Personal
shopper: £17,000 per annum
OK, so these are rough and ready figures but they soon add up and there are things I’ve been too sleepy to quantify such as laundry person, a personal therapist; a hairdresser; a relationship counsellor or maker of costumes: that sort of thing.
It has become clear to me when sorting out this blog post that all those occupations listed up there, performed for free by a carer at home (whether it’s caring for children or an elderly relative or whomever) is not exhaustive. For example, I was a music teacher to my children when they were young, as well as a sergeant major. You see my point, though.
Perhaps it’s about time we started valuing people who perform these functions out of love or duty or because it’s the right and responsible thing to do. They might have made a lot of sacrifices in their own lives to do all this. They might not be economically productive in a way quantifiable by conventional (dare I say it, patriarchal) economics but the economy could not exist without their support.
I’m a full-time carer so I echo every word.
I agree with everything Melinda Gates has written and your post. There seems to be a “dehumanising” message at large that if you are alive you should be “economically productive” and if not then you are a “drain” on society. Carers save the state so much money, and mothers who work fulltime in the home should not be made feel that they are somehow lesser people just because they aren’t out paying taxes. And it is a patriarchal system. If mothers go out to work, they are criticised for not raising their children “right” and being the cause of “feral youth”, but when they work in the home, they are criticised for being “spongers” and a “drain”. No matter what a woman does, society will always criticise her. If a man gave up a career to be a stay at home carer, people would talk about the great “sacrifice” he is making and what a great parent/carer he must be. Double standards prevail.
*Gasp* a dog walker gets paid more than a baby sitter??
But seriously, you make an excellent point. So much is done from love.
Mx
Yes. Interesting isn’t it?
Yes, very interesting. What an excellent article by Melinda Gates. Thank you for posting it.