Mothers caring through injury: how can we understand the dual burden of caregivers' recovery?

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss the value of qualitative research in a commissioned research project with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and WorkSafe under the auspices of Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR). The project was designed to examine existing quantitative data about the time taken to return to work by injured mothers and explore women's experiences of caring for children while seeking to recover from injury. We argue that qualitative research is vital to illuminate how women experience intersections of injury and care-giving. Furthermore, we suggest that in such complex areas of social life, qualitative data is necessary to inform the development of adequate and valid quantitative databases since some of the factors that may affect return to work are connected to women's caring obligations as well as injury and employment type. Policy frameworks that effectively address injured women workers' needs will need to address women's family care obligations and quantitative data alone cannot provide adequate information for the development of effective workplace approaches to support mothers' return to work.

Keywords:

• women's injuries
• women's maternal care-giving
• women's employment
• qualitative research

Acknowledgements

Our sincere thanks go to the women who offered their knowledge and reflections about incredibly difficult experiences of injury and care.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by ISCRR with TAC and WorkSafe Victoria [12-043]. Dr Paula Wright was a Research Fellow in the first two phases and contributed much insight to the Phase 2 quantitative analysis. David Attwood and the TAC team also provided critical data in that phase.