A CALL FOR CHANGE:
INVEST IN THE CARING ECONOMY
Caring is everybody’s business
Across our city, women have told us, loud and clear, that economic inequality is their number one concern. And it’s no surprise. Prices for food, fuel, and housing are continuing to rise.
The lack of caring infrastructure is a key driver of women’s economic inequality. The lack of free and affordable childcare and flexible working means women often leave the work force and/or reduce to part time. The cost-of-living crisis isn’t gender-neutral. It’s hitting women with caring responsibilities the hardest. That’s why we’re taking action.
Poor investment in the caring economy and women’s poverty go hand-in-hand. 90% of single-parent households are headed by women. Women feel it the most when prices rise because they are more likely to be poor to start with and because they generally have to spend more of their income on food and managing family budgets.
In some areas of Bristol, up to 27% of residents are having to used food banks. Food insecurity is disproportionately experienced by single parents and carers. Black and minoritised women have poverty rates 40% higher than other women as they have been especially impacted by recent cuts to social security and public services.
“Women are the shock absorbers of poverty” [Women’s Budget Group, 2022]
In general women do 1.5 fewer hours of paid work and 1.8 more hours of unpaid work per day than men.
Every year, women in the UK provide 23.2 billion hours of unpaid childcare care worth an estimated £382 billion, while men provide 9.7 billion hours, worth £160 billion.
The Value the Caring Economy Campaign and its alliance
In response, we formed the Value the Caring Economy Alliance – a coalition of ten powerful community organisations. Together, we’re calling for serious investment in the backbone of our society: the caring economy. That means better childcare, stronger support for social care, fair pay for care workers, and flexible working that lets people care without sacrificing income.
Because no one should have to choose between earning a living and caring for loved ones.
Our Call to Action
We’re calling on the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA), Bristol City Council, and national government to put care at the heart of every policy decision and investment strategy to ensure inclusive growth that benefits everyone and the public purse.
Caring is everyone’s business. It’s the invisible infrastructure holding our society together. When we devalue care, we weaken our communities. But when we invest in care, we build a stronger, fairer, and more resilient society for all.
The Alliance
Our alliance includes:
- Bristol Black Carers
- Bristol Women in Business Charter
- Bristol Women’s Voice
- Carers Support Centre
- Chinese Community Wellbeing Society
- Co-Produce Care
- WECIL
- West of England Women’s Commission
- Women’s Budget Group
We represent the women of Bristol—those who care, those who are cared for, and those who make care work happen.
What is a Caring Economy?
A caring economy is one where:
- The well-being of families, communities, and the planet comes first.
- Care work—both paid and unpaid—is valued and supported.
- No one is pushed into poverty for doing essential care work.
It’s an economy that invests in childcare, education, health, and social care. It creates training, transport, and fair wages for care workers. It lifts people up, rather than leaving them behind.
