Originally published here.
The care economy, which refers to activities related to the provision of care, including care for children, seniors and people with disabilities, as well as health care and education, is a fundamental component of societies. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the essential nature of this sector. In Canada and around the world, demographic and socioeconomic transformations—notably the aging population—are increasing the demand for care workers. Although the care economy includes paid and unpaid work, the focus of this study is on paid workers. It uses data from the 2016 Census of Population and from the Labour Force Survey to examine their personal and job characteristics through a gender lens.
It also examines how the pandemic has impacted paid care worker employment, compared with workers in all other occupations. This article is the first to provide a detailed portrait of paid care workers in Canada.
• According to the 2016 Census of Population, about 3 million people were employed in paid care occupations in 2016, making up nearly one-fifth (19%) of the total employed population in Canada. Women represented the majority of paid care workers, accounting for three quarters (75%) of all care workers in 2016.
• Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (9%), elementary school and kindergarten teachers (9%), nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (8%) and early childhood educators and assistants (7%) were the most common occupations, accounting for a third of all care workers in 2016.
• Workers in care occupations were comparatively more educated than those in non-care occupations. Nearly one-half (46%) of care workers had a university certificate or degree at the bachelor level or above, compared with one-quarter (25%) of those working in non-care occupations. Women in care occupations were more likely than their male counterparts to have a college credential as their highest level of education (29% vs. 16%), whereas a larger proportion of men than women held a university certificate, diploma or degree at the bachelor level or above (51% vs. 44%).
• There were also differences regarding the type of positions held by men and women within care occupations. For example, in the health-related occupations, women were more likely than men to hold professional occupations in nursing (29% vs. 11%), such as registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, and nursing coordinators and supervisors. By contrast, men were more likely to hold professional occupations (except nursing) such as general practitioners and family physicians, specialist physicians and dentists (45% vs. 16%).
• By consequence, women in care occupations had lower employment income than men ($59,300 vs. $73,400) on average in 2015. The income gender gap remained significant even after diverse personal characteristics and care occupation held was taken into account, meaning that the occupational segregation among care workers alone does not explain the gender pay gap in the care sector.
• During the pandemic, workers in non-care occupations had a larger employment decrease than those working in care occupations. This is partly because care workers more often provide essential services, and non-care workers are more likely to be found in industries hit hardest by the pandemic, such as accommodation and food services and retail services.
• Women and men in care occupations were affected differently by the pandemic. Women’s monthly employment in 2020 remained lower than that in the same months of 2019, throughout 2020, while men’s employment recovered faster and was even higher than that in the same months of 2019, from August to December 2020. However, the situation evolved differently in 2021. The employment of women in care occupations continued to improve, in contrast to men’s employment. Thus, in November 2021, employment among men in care occupations was at a level similar to that in February 2020, whereas for women it was 2% higher.
You can read the complete article here.