Crisis, care and childhood: the impact of economic crisis on care work in poor households in the developing world

Abstract

Caring for children and other dependents is crucial to human well-being, and to social and economic development. Yet, most national and international policymakers appear persistently blind to this fact, as has been highlighted by the recent global economic crisis. They need to recognise and value care work if they are to support vulnerable families from the effects of economic downturn. The 2008–2009 global economic crisis has served to underscore the potential effects of inadequate attention to care economy dynamics, with serious risks to children's education, development, health and protection already evident. Nevertheless, economic recovery measures continue to provide little space or funding for protective or remedial measures. We argue that gender and care-sensitive social protection measures are a good means by which to support the position of carers and to create better visibility within policy circles, while also demonstrating considerable returns for human well-being and broader long-term economic development. These returns are evident in pre-existing social protection programmes, from which it will be vital to learn lessons. Including care-sensitive social protection in economic recovery packages also has the potential to improve the visibility and importance of care in a transformative and sustainable way.

Keywords:

• childcare
• gender
• poverty
• economic crises
• recovery
• social protection

Notes

1. The 2009/2010 ODI/UNICEF study consisted of four papers examining a wide variety of past macroeconomic shocks and their impacts upon households and children. The regional papers focused upon Latin America (the Mexican Peso Crises of 2002 and the Argentinean convertibility crisis); the impact of transition upon post Soviet states (with a focus upon Kyrgyzstan); the East Asian financial crisis of 1997; and the impact of commodity price fluctuations within Africa since the 1990s. A summary synthesis paper was prepared for a conference on Children and Crisis in November 2009 (held at UNICEF London); see Harper et al. (forthcoming).

2. See Dejardin and Owens (2009) and Sirimanne (2009) on this and for policy options for engendering macroeconomic and social protection responses.

3. During the East Asian financial crisis the proportion of household income spent on food rose disproportionately (particularly in urban areas). In Indonesia the proportion of households spending more than 65% of total expenditure on food more than doubled in urban areas between February 1997 and February 1999, from 18 per cent to 39 per cent (Dhanani and Islam 2002).

4. Kahn et al. (2004) found that the impacts of mental health symptoms among parents on the emotional and behavioural well-being of their children included ‘external’ indicators, such as: sudden changes in mood or feeling; disobedience; nervousness; trouble getting along with other children; restless or over-active behaviour, and ‘internal’ indicators, including: feelings of worthlessness and inferiority; unhappiness and sadness; fearfulness and anxiousness; and being easily confused. These impacts intensified if a child had two parents with psychological problems.

5. As with the soup kitchens in Latin America, in Kyrgyzstan, evidence from the late 1990s found poor people increasingly unable to afford even the modest cash contributions needed to participate in rotational savings clubs (Kuehnast and Dudwick 2002).

6. A detailed discussion on the appropriateness of counter-cyclical investments within low-income countries was recently aired at the 2009 PEGnet conference (Policies for Reducing Inequality in the Developing World) at the Hague. See www.pegnet.ifw-kiel.de/

7. South Africa has been a beacon in its recognition and value of care, not only implementing a caregiver allowance, but additionally implementing a comprehensive national-level capacity development programme: the Early Child Development Programme (part of the Expanded Public Works Programme, set up in 2004). The ambitions of this programme are to improve national childcare systems, to provide employment opportunities for women and promote the professional development of women working in the childcare field. The programme ‘can free parents and other adult carers to take up opportunities for education and employment’ (Department of Social Development 2006, 12 quoted in Lund [2009]).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jessica Espey

Jessica Espey is currently a research officer within the Social Development programme at ODI, in London. In May 2010 she assumes a new post within the Development Policy Team at Save the Children, in London

Caroline Harper

Caroline Harper is a research fellow at the ODI in London, is leader of the Social Development Programme, and is Associate Director of the Chronic Poverty Research Centre

Nicola Jones

Nicola Jones is a research fellow within the Social Development Programme at ODI in London