Gendered Jobs and Gendered Pay: The Relationship Between Sexism, Racism, and Ableism, and Personal Care Aide Wages

Carli Friedman

doi:10.16993/sjdr.652

Abstract

There is currently a personal care staffing crisis in the United States, with astronomical turnover, largely due to low wages. How attitudes may trickle down to impact funding decisions and personal care aide wages is unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between ableism, racism, and sexism, and states’ personal care aide wages in the United States. We analyzed data about personal care aide wages, and prejudice data from 4.7 million people. Findings revealed a significant relationship between sexism and personal care aide wages – the higher a states’ sexism, the lower their personal care aide wage; this finding was consistent regardless of the state’s size, wealth, prevalence of the occupation, political leanings, or ableism or racism scores. Regardless of the strategies utilized to stabilize and grow the profession of personal care aides, it is important to examine the role sexism may play.

Highlights

For older adults and many people with disabilities, personal care services are often critical for facilitating community living over institutionalized living (Doty et al, 1996)
We ran a multiple linear regression model to explore the relationship between ableism, racism, and sexism (IVs) and personal care aide wages (DV), while controlling for state political lean, personal care aide occupation prevalence, state wealth, and state size
While we did not find a significant relationship between ableism and personal care aide wages in this study, we believe our findings indicate the need for more research into the matter

Summary

Introduction

For older adults and many people with disabilities, personal care services are often critical for facilitating community living over institutionalized living (Doty et al, 1996). Personal care aides ( called direct supports or direct support professionals) assist people with disabilities and older adults with activities of daily living as well as other tasks necessary for community integration. As a result of the many different roles they may play, such as assistance with personal care, transportation, education, household tasks, and self-determination, personal care aides must utilize a complex balance of skills and competencies (Hasan 2013; Hewitt et al 2008; National Direct Service Workforce Resource Center n.d. 2013; Robbins et al 2013). As a result of an increase in community living among people with disabilities, and the aging of the baby boomer population, the personal care sector is one of the fastest growing areas of the labor force in the United States (Bogenschutz et al 2014; Micke 2015; Robbins et al 2013). By 2020, direct support is estimated to be the largest job in the country (Bogenschutz et al 2014; Hewitt 2014)

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Conclusion