What is the cost of care?
Unpaid caregivers have long been undervalued and have historically been women. Today, people of all genders fill these roles, yet the majority of caregiving continues to fall on women and is placed on top of their professional responsibilities. There are costs to this work, and they are not borne equally.
Whether caregivers are caring for children, elders or other members of their community, their essential contributions allow societies to function. The experiences of the past 18 months have only exacerbated the challenges faced by both full-time unpaid caregivers and those adding caregiving on top of their regular jobs. The intersectional and socioeconomic pressures on caregivers are clearly not equitable and research shows they are struggling under an unsustainable load that carries physical, mental and financial ramifications.
Join our panel of UBC experts as they discuss the complex reality of care in our society. Who are the caregivers? How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted them? What would it look like if we were to rebuild the system into one that better supports them?
Presented in partnership with the Faculty of Arts, Education, and Medicine, the UBC Sauder School of Business, and The Women’s Health Research Cluster.
Moderator
Michelle Eliot, BA’98 – Host, BC Today, on CBC Radio One
Panelists
Dr. Marina Adshade – Assistant Professor of Teaching, Vancouver School of Economics, UBC
Dr. Terri-Leigh Aldred – Family Physician, Site Director, Indigenous Family Medicine Program, UBC, and Medical Director, Primary Care, First Nations Health Authority
Dr. Sylvia Anne Fuller – Professor, Department of Sociology, UBC Faculty of Arts
Dr. Anusha Kassan – Registered Psychologist, Associate Professor, High Impact Position in Child & Youth Mental Health, UBC Faculty of Education, School and Applied Child Psychology Program
Additional Resources & Links
Recorded October 13, 2021.
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