The hardest thing we have ever done - Palliative Care Australia

Impact on Economic Wellbeing
It appears that the primary caring role does reduce a person’s chances of being employed
(ABS, 1999). The proportion of primary carers who were neither working nor looking for work
was almost double that of those who were not in the caring role (Table 1). Age and sex
alone do not explain the lower employment rate for primary carers; although most carers are
women between the ages 15 to 64, their employment rate is still lower than that of all
women in the same age group (46% compared to 61%). Schofield et al (1997a) reported
that caring commitments meant that some carers were unable to work, or had to work fewer
hours or in a lower paid job with financial consequences (Table 7).
Table 7: Effect of caring on the employment and financial status of carers
Details of changes
Worried about care recipient
while at work
Working fewer hours
Had to give up their job
Having less energy for work
Being interrupted repeatedly
during working hours
Taking periods of unpaid leave
Settling for a less responsible job
Refusing promotion
Working from home
Difficulty meeting everyday living costs
Financial loss due to extra expenses
Reduction in income
Time spent caring per week
Percent
59
29
17
29
28
22
16
13
14
25
26
18
27% for over 100hrs; 15% for
31-100hrs; 22% for 10-30hrs; 35%
for under 10hrs.
Source: Information compiled from Schofield et al (1997a). n=976.
Totals do not add up to 100% due to multiple responses.
The limited employment opportunities for primary carers are also reflected in their incomes,
with over half reporting a government pension or allowance as their principal source of
income (Table 1). The ‘Caring Costs’ study also confirmed the low-income levels of most
carers (Carers Association of Australia, 1997). Almost two-thirds listed a government pension
or benefit as a main source of income. More than half of all carers had incomes less than
$200 per week, and over two thirds had incomes less than $300 per week, when average
weekly full-time earnings at the time were approximately $550. Similarly, nearly 60% of all
carers had too little taxable income to pay personal income tax, and over two thirds paid less
than $20 a week income tax. Only 15% of carers listed paid work as a main source
of income.
20 THE HARDEST THING WE HAVE EVER DONE: The Social Impact of Caring for Terminally Ill People in Australia, 2004