Allard, Camille (2021) Taking the time to care? A study of employer-provided paid carer’s leave in three organisations in the UK. PhD thesis, University of Sheffield.
Abstract
This thesis explores the development and characteristics of employer-led carer’s leave in the UK, and the impact of carer’s leave on the experiences of workers with care responsibilities ('working carers'). Despite a wealth of research on work-care reconciliation, carer’s leave and its potential to strengthen working carers’ rights and visibility has received little attention.
This thesis examines the characteristics of employer-led carer’s leave policies and their impact on working carers through an in-depth case study approach of three UK organisations in the public, private and third (voluntary) sectors.
A critical realist perspective was adopted, as well as multiple methods including interviews, surveys and document analysis. In total, 65 interviews of working carers, managers, trade union and employee representatives were conducted in addition to documentary analysis of the policies as well as two employee surveys of which generated 41 and 320 responses each. The potential for employer-led carer’s leave to reflect Kittay’s ‘doulia’ right (1999,2021) was critically evaluated through a multi-conceptual framework which included Acker’s intersectional theory of ‘inequality regimes’ (Acker, 1990, 2006a, 2006b) as well as Bourdieu’s theory of Capital (1986).
This thesis contributes to knowledge by exploring how the individual’s experience of taking carer’s leave is dependent on both on the job status of the carer as well as an organisation’s interpretation and application of carer’s leave policies. Key findings show that, when accessed, paid carer’s leave has enormous potential to support work and care articulation as it reduces the potential negative effect of using flexible work policies and enhances work quality. Carer’s leave was however not accessed equally throughout the three participant organisations. This was due to a management-led Diversity & Inclusion framework used to introduce carer’s leave which limited the influence of employee voice. This thesis also critically situates working carers’ ability to ‘self-identify’ as carers and access carer's leave in relation to specific factors, such as their own perspectives on care, labour processes as well as class and gender inequalities. Consequently, employer-led carer’s leave as a ‘doulia’ right is not sufficient to value workers with care responsibilities, as it can fail to acknowledge the way in which work and care are distributed with power and voice disparities in the workplace.
Metadata
Supervisors: | Yeandle, Sue and Heyes, Jason |
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Keywords: | Work and unpaid care; working carers; carer's leave; carers' rights; inequalities; employee voice |
Awarding institution: | University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Management School (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Sociological Studies (Sheffield) |
Identification Number/EthosID: | uk.bl.ethos.855678 |
Depositing User: | Ms Camille Allard |
Date Deposited: | 23 May 2022 08:44 |
Last Modified: | 01 Jun 2023 09:53 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:etheses.whiterose.ac.uk:30589 |
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