Unpaid care and the gender pay gap: Literature review of recent evidence
This review has been carried out in response to the aims of the Fair Work Action Plan and associated Evidence Plan. It looks to answer the research question: How unpaid caring responsibilities (childcare and social care) influence determinants of the gender pay gap.
Part of
6. Conclusions
The review shows that there is evidence of loss of earnings associated with providing unpaid care and unpaid childcare, with some studies suggesting that women are disproportionately negatively impacted.
- The evidence shows there are changes in working patterns or working hours, differences in career progression, sectors of employment, as well as difference in labour market participation and accumulation of work experience.
- For both childcare and care, women are more likely to change their working pattern or take prolonged breaks from employment. With the evidence suggesting the gendered disparity in full time work experience accumulation can lead to lower earnings in the long term.
The evidence reviewed identified potential drivers of these differences including gender roles, access to formal and informal care, caring intensity, the age at which people became carers, and education.
- There is some evidence that career progression for mothers’ and female carers’ can be impacted or hindered by caring responsibilities.
- The review did not provide evidence on the intersection of care and job tenure, which may suggest a lack of extensively researched literature or that it is challenging to explore given data challenges.
A number of evidence gaps were identified during this review. In particular it was found that the evidence base around the impact of gender differences in unpaid care is limited in comparison to that on unpaid childcare. Evidence gaps were also identified on the impact of care on women’s occupational choices and in relation to the demographic coverage of studies on unpaid childcare.