Blog 3

The care work that I experienced in my family was mainly out sourced. By this I mean that I have always had a nanny, or at least until I turned 16 and could drive myself around. Neither of my parents really did traditionally men’s jobs or women’s jobs in the home. We had landscapers that cut the lawn and did the yard work. My mom made sure the house was neat but we had someone that came to clean our house once a week. When it came to family time, I think that both of my parents shared the care work equally. They would both play with us or help us with our homework.

When I was young, my great-grandmother fell down and broke her leg and came to stay with us for awhile. While she was there, my mom would take care of her and help her during the day while my dad was at work and when he got home, they would both help her and spend time with her. Me and my brothers also helped with taking care of her by getting things she needed or helping her walk around the house.

I thought that the efforts and policies being made in the UK to address the issue of juggling work and home life were insightful and seem to work. It makes sense for a company to have policies and practices to make it easier and less stressful on an employee that is also a carer. It would help stop the revolving door effect that occurs when someone is needed at home and their employer is open to being flexible. Since I work in a extremely flexible office, I completely see how helping your employees when they need it produces positive effects. When you are understanding and empathetic about someone’s situation and allow for flexibility, it allows for improved productivity and a more loyal employee.

The home is not just “woman’s work,” a carer can be someone that needs to care for a sick parent or grandparent or even spouse. In order to apply the policies that companies in the UK have done, is to recognize that children aren’t the only people that need care, and that women are not the only ones that are able to do it.