Ahead of International Women's Day we aim to highlight the large contribution women make to unpaid care. Unpaid carers in England and Wales contribute £445 million to the economy every day, adding up to £162 billion per year, the same cost of a second NHS (Petrillo and Bennett, 2023).
There is often an unspoken expectation of care from women, whether in a family or with friends. Women are commonly expected to balance work and parenthood and when the additional responsibility of caring for someone presents itself, there is an automatic absorption of that role, often through pressure and no other option being presented. 53% of female carers reported feeling lonely in their caring role, 8% higher than male carers (State of Caring 2023, Carers UK).
If you are a carer looking after someone and you are looking for support, you can register for tailored information and personalised advice here. You can also browse our wide range of online support topics at the link below and our unique caring circumstances articles here.
60% of UK carers are women
In England, women aged between 55 to 59 years provided the most unpaid care (19.9%) and women were more likely to provide unpaid care than men in every age group up to 75 - 79 years, (2021 Census).
Online Help and Advice
Visit our online support section where we have provided advice and guidance on a range of relevant topics to help you in your caring role.