Unpaid Labour and Family Caring.

Essay by ashrobynUniversity, Bachelor'sB, June 2003

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Topic 1: Unpaid Labour and Family Caring

For woman, 'morality is primarily about caring' (Hinman, 1998, Ethics: A Pluralistic Approach to Moral Theory, pp377), thus unpaid labour and family caring becomes primarily a woman's job. This essay analyzes theories and surveys that have been performed in conjunction with such a topic. It endeavors to demonstrate that experiences for men and women in consideration of unpaid labour and family caring are stereotypical. I aim to portray that unpaid labour and family caring are not equitably established responsibilities; the ethics of care playing a large part in such results. I shall also look at the disadvantages women are faced with in becoming mothers as a pose to those of men such as cost of their careers, time and financial status. Considering such work as the Australian Bureau of Statistics' findings in their survey 'Australian Social Trends 1994, Work - Unpaid work: Unpaid Household Work' (ABS, 1994, online: www.abs.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/e4a287d7adeb50b2ca2569ff0017f16c),

I aim to utilize theories and statistics that provide evidence to my premise and intend to consider a review of government policies, namely the baby bonus, and how the government interplays the private side of life.

According to the Australian Bureau of statistics, paid work is an 'activity that uses labour and other factors of production to produce goods and services for sale in the market' while unpaid work is labour that is not reimbursed with money due to the fact that no monetary gain is produced by the labour (ABS, 1994, Australian Social Trends 1994: Work - Unpaid Work: Unpaid Household Work, online: www.abs.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/e4a287d7adeb50b2ca2569ff0017f16c).

Bittman and Pixley stated that 'domestic work remains women's responsibility even though most people believe that housework should be shared' (1997, The Double Life of the Family: Myth, Hope and Experience, pp145). Such contradiction relates to...