Domestic Care Research Articles

Unpaid care work places a disproportionate burden on women, preventing their full economic, social and political participation. Demand for care work increases in postwar contexts and has been shown to contribute to creating everyday peace during and after war. Drawing on feminist political economy theorizing of social reproduction, this paper argues that care serves a critical function in women’s postwar social movements, where the material conditions for life are eroded and women are expected to perform the majority of unpaid household care work, hindering their political participation. Two case studies from rural Sri Lanka illustrate how women use care to build feminist solidarity in the everyday lives of their social movements. Domestic unpaid care work depletes women when unsupported; the anti-microfinance Satyagrah a in Hingurakgoda (2020) and the land rights struggle in Panama (2010–) demonstrate that caring ways of resistance cultivate solidarities to maintain social movements by supporting or substituting for women’s unpaid labour in maintaining their households. This paper contributes to scholarship on political participation in postwar contexts by highlighting how caring ways enable women’s participation and mobilization in public protest movements. Women’s participation contributed to confronting the political economy of indebtedness and dispossession by demanding justice from the state.

Domestic care workers have long been largely invisible in labour statistics and in public and policy debates. The emergence of digital labour intermediaries has exposed domestic care workers to a new, but problematic, individual visibility: to find jobs and customers, they must create digital public profiles with personal information. Accordingly, scholars emphasise that this individualised visibility poses risks to privacy and security of domestic care workers. We argue in this paper that labour market intermediaries create not only an individualised visibility of domestic care workers, but also a new collective visibility that leads to more public debate about their working conditions and societal recognition. Methodologically, our argument is based on qualitative interviews with founders and managing directors of companies who mediate domestic care work in Switzerland. Drawing on the concept and literature on market moralisation, we consider these companies to be moral entrepreneurs. Based on our interest in how they frame the social value of commodified care work, we applied a discourse-analytic perspective. We found that the moral entrepreneurs use four central narratives to highlight their societal contribution. They claim to formalise care work, increase the public recognition of care work, emancipate women and integrate migrants. Based on these findings, we discuss these moralising narratives as ambivalent: although they reify a problematic feminisation, migrantisation and neoliberalisation of domestic care work, they enhance the collective visibility of care workers. Subsequently, the increased visibility might contribute to put working conditions in domestic care on the public agenda and lead to positive change.

Abstract. As digital labour mediation platforms became prominent in the late 2010s, they were soon associated with deteriorating labour conditions, especially for ride hailing, delivery and crowd work. Yet studies are more ambivalent about their effects on care work, i.e. domestic work and home care for children and seniors. As care work was already informal and highly precarious before, digital platforms held the promise of (partially) formalizing it. Contributing to this debate, we ask how workers make a living from platformized care work. We draw on 24 in-person interviews with workers who rely on income from providing domestic, nannying and senior care services mediated through digital platforms in Geneva. Our findings demonstrate that working via care work platforms is financially unsustainable. Our analysis highlights the omnipresence of what we call “platform subsidies”, i.e. financial support provided by family or friends to sustain workers' income. We argue that these payments subsidize platforms and customers who profit from care as a low-cost, on-demand service.

Several aspects of rural transformation in LMICs call for greater participation by women in agriculture. However, empirical evidence does not show a clear link between greater participation by women in agriculture and improved nutritional status. This paper examines two key nutrition impact pathways – changes in energy demands and time-use patterns due to increased participation in agriculture. The study is based on data collected from rural agricultural households across agricultural seasons in Adilabad District, Telangana State, India. A novel aspect of the study is the use of accelerometers for energy expenditure assessments. Our findings show that increased participation by women in agriculture leads only to modest rises in energy demand and physical activity levels, as agricultural tasks are not much more energy-intensive than the domestic/care activities they replace. Increased energy expenditure due to more time spent on agricultural activities is generally offset by higher calorie intake, with no significant impacts on calorie adequacy. However, increased participation in agriculture significantly changes women’s time-use patterns, reducing time for domestic work, leisure, and care, which may affect nutrition and wellbeing. Impacts on nutrition and wellbeing are more likely to arise from changes in time-use patterns than from increased energy demands of agricultural work.

Female migrant workers across Europe represent a growing yet often invisible segment of the labor market. Concentrated in sectors such as domestic care, hospitality, agriculture, and cleaning services, these women frequently face exploitative working conditions, limited labor rights, and systemic marginalization. The intersection of gender, migrant status, and employment precarity places them at elevated risk for occupational injuries, chronic stress, and both physical and mental health challenges. Despite their vital contributions-particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic-the protections they receive in terms of occupational safety, health access, and social security remain grossly inadequate. Working conditions typically include long hours, low wages, informal contracts, and exclusion from basic labor protections such as sick leave, insurance, or safety protocols. Language barriers, fear of deportation, and social isolation further deter these women from seeking care or advocating for safer workplaces. Consequently, they experience disproportionate rates of preventable injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, reproductive health issues, and untreated mental health conditions. From a public health standpoint, this situation presents a dual crisis: it violates basic rights and burdens national health systems. Emergency services often serve as the first point of care for uninsured migrant women, resulting in delayed treatment, higher healthcare costs, and missed opportunities for early intervention. Research suggests that the long-term costs of chronic illness, injury, and mental health care in this population far outweigh the short-term economic gains from their unregulated labor. Poor access to maternal and reproductive health services further amplifies public health risks, especially in urban centers with high migrant populations. Legal and regulatory gaps across the EU allow these conditions to persist. Many labor laws fail to apply occupational health and safety standards to informal and domestic work, creating a legal vacuum ripe for exploitation. Simultaneously, health and social care systems are often unprepared to address the needs of migrant women, with limited cultural mediation, language-adapted services, or targeted outreach. Comprehensive occupational health services that include precariously employed migrant women are rare, resulting in systemic under-detection and under-protection. This workshop will explore the multifaceted health and safety challenges faced by female migrant workers and emphasize the need for coordinated legislative, policy, and service-level reforms. It will highlight current research, best practices, and policy innovations from across Europe aimed at advancing protection, reducing health inequities, and alleviating the burden on health systems.Key messages• Female migrants face systematically higher exposure to occupational hazards, from physical injuries and psychosocial stress to poor reproductive health outcomes.• There is a need for cross-sectoral collaboration, including labor regulation reform, culturally responsive healthcare, better data collection, and proactive outreach.

Simulation-based forensic nursing education for emergency nurses using domestic violence cases: A randomized controlled study.

ABSTRACT Despite Japan being the top overseas destination for Taiwanese tourists, very few actually travel there for medical care. This paradox raises key questions about why high visitation does not translate into healthcare uptake, and what psychological and perceptual factors drive or deter such decisions. In Taiwan's context of efficient, trusted domestic care, emotional reassurance and cultural affinity may outweigh purely functional concerns. This study develops an integrated framework grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and extended with constructs from the Theory of Planned Behaviour, Expectancy Value Theory, and Cognitive Load Theory. A survey of 400 Taiwanese respondents was analysed through structural equation modelling to test relationships among cognitive and emotional factors. Findings show that perceived usefulness and destination image significantly predict intention, while emotional reassurance plays a central role. Perceived ease of use, reflecting cognitive load, supports perceived usefulness rather than directly shaping intention. The study advances TAM in a high-trust setting, highlights the underexplored Taiwan-Japan medical corridor, and offers guidance for Japanese providers to attract regional patients through trust, clarity, and emotional alignment.

Background: People with advanced cancer often face significant challenges in everyday activities, especially within their home environments, where they spend most of their time. The Cancer Home-Life Intervention is an occupational therapy-based program supporting everyday activities in people with advanced cancer living at home. Aim: To examine the cost-utility and cost-effectiveness of the Cancer Home-Life Intervention compared to usual care over six months. Methods: This economic evaluation with a societal perspective was conducted alongside a randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02356627). Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and activities of daily living motor ability accounted for the outcome. Costs included primary and secondary health care, domestic care, assistive devices, and participants' out-of-pocket costs. A total of 242 adults with advanced cancer were included from two Danish University Hospitals and randomized 1:1 to the Cancer Home-Life Intervention or usual care. Primary analysis included 172 participants alive at six months follow-up. Results: The intervention showed no statistically significant improvement in either QALYs or activities of daily living motor ability compared to usual care. However, the cost-utility analysis revealed a 72% probability of the intervention being cost-effective, regardless of the willingness-to-pay threshold per QALY gained. The probability of cost-effectiveness for activities of daily living motor ability started at 26% and increased to 58%. Sensitivity analyses supported these findings. Conclusion: The Cancer Home-Life Intervention showed limited potential for cost-effectiveness compared to usual practice. The cost-utility analysis revealed a 72% probability of cost-effectiveness. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously due to small, nonstatistically significant improvements in QALYs.

This paper explores the development path design for the intelligent transformation of community-based public facilities for elderly care, aiming to address the challenges of passive aging and promote the vision of enjoyable aging. The research is grounded in Chinas aging population trend, the challenges faced by domestic community elderly care, and the transformative potential of smart technologies. Through literature review and case analysis, this study examines the core definition, classification, and domestic status of smart community elderly care facilities. It identifies key pathways for intelligent transformation, including demand-side adaptation, collaborative supply mechanisms, and quality enhancement through whole process supervision. The findings suggest that smart elderly care communities, by integrating technological empowerment with humanistic concern, can significantly improve health management efficiency, reduce the occurrence of accidents, and help preserve the autonomy of the elderly. However, challenges remain, such as insufficient age-friendly technology design, fragmented service coordination, lack of standardized systems, and limited public health data sharing. This study provides insights and references for the construction of smart elderly care communities, offering a technical foundation for the shift from experience-driven to data-driven services and achieving precision governance in elderly care.

Abstract This study examines the factors driving employment, adaptation strategies, and labor market trajectories of female, immigrant domestic care workers in rural southern Europe. Through thematic analysis of fieldwork data collected in Potenza (Italy) and Teruel (Spain), it explores the interaction between local labor market dynamics and these workers’ migrant capital. Contributing to a body of literature that has largely overlooked the rural dimension of this conversation, the study emphasizes the importance of considering both individual as well as contextual factors when analyzing the diverse labor market trajectories of these workers. Findings suggest that limited access to quality employment, significant elderly care needs, and close-knit social contexts shape their labor market experiences in various ways. Despite facing “migrant penalties,” many adapt by acquiring skills, building networks, and navigating systemic barriers, including restrictive immigration policies. That said, precarious job conditions at times compel some of them to relocate to more dynamic regions or leave the sector.

The emergence of egg intermediaries in the European fertility landscape: the creation of value in reproductive bioeconomies.

ABSTRACTThis article contributes to the limited literature on immigrant caregivers in rural Spain. Building upon interview data, it examines the question of social inclusion with a focus on employment from the perspectives of Latin American women working in private, home‐based elderly care. The interviews were conducted in small towns and villages across Teruel; a landlocked, sparsely populated, predominantly rural province in eastern Spain. For these caregivers, employment generally offered a means to improve their financial situation and, in some cases, to obtain legal residency. However, their day‐to‐day experiences varied considerably. This wide spectrum included cases of isolation and exploitation, of marginal participation in their communities, and of genuine satisfaction with their lifestyles and social relationships. With particular attention to the rural context, the article examines how inclusion and exclusion were shaped by factors such as employment conditions and personal networks. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of supportive employers in bridging the gap between caregivers and their rural communities—employers who can potentially foster inclusion to a degree not commonly experienced by other immigrant workers in the southern European countryside.

Amid South Korea’s demographic crisis of a declining birth rate and a rapidly aging population, care work has become an essential yet undervalued sector. This study investigates the physical and mental health conditions of domestic care workers and explores how social and structural factors shape their labor experiences.Using a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates survey data from care workers (n=345) with in-depth interviews of nine individuals working in various care roles, including certified caregivers, disability support workers, childcare teachers, and domestic workers. Quantitative findings reveal strong correlations between job satisfaction and health outcomes. Higher job satisfaction was associated with lower scores on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), indicating better physical and mental health. Significant disparities were found between care worker subcategories. Qualitative analysis further uncovered recurring themes such as emotional burden, social invisibility, dissatisfaction with compensation, and the absence of grievance mechanisms. Despite these challenges, many workers found meaning in their roles and relied on informal coping strategies such as peer support. This study underscores the urgency of addressing systemic issues in the care sector. The results call for policies that improve working conditions, recognize the social value of care work, and promote health equity. The findings contribute to advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3(Good Health), 5 (Gender Equality), and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

This article reveals the process of shifting value orientations in Russian society in the post-reform period from the concept of “disease” to the concept of “health”. This transformation of consciousness in the circle of the educated intelligentsia manifested itself, among other things, in the formation of elements of medical and sanitary supervision in schools, the introduction of methods for studying the conditions students’ stay in educational institutions. The author provides an analysis of the motives of the medical community of the region for the implementation of measures aimed at preserving the health of younger generation. Based on historical facts and comparative analysis, the difficulties of creating a school sanitary service in a non-zemstvo region are substantiated. This publication is based on the analysis of a wide range of sources (minutes of commissions, reports, statistical materials), which reflect the consolidated desire of doctors, teachers and public councils of Irkutsk to follow the trends in the development of domestic health care, formed in a humanistic key in the zemstvo provinces. In 1910–1911, several areas of medical and sanitary supervision over the students’ health in primary and public schools of Irkutsk were outlined: examination of the physical development and health of students, improvement of the child population health in Irkutsk, wide coverage of students’ vaccination against smallpox and diphtheria. Despite the high activity of the medical community and public forces, by the end of the imperial period in Irkutsk, in the provincial center, a model of medical and sanitary supervision of schools was not developed, its elements were introduced and gave a positive result, but did not have a systemic and regulated nature. The districts of the Irkutsk province remained on the sidelines of these processes. The subject, the object of research and the source base have determined the main methods of historical research: descriptive-narrative, historical-comparative, historical-systematic. Historical sources allowed the author of the article to “close” the gaps in the problematic field of “protecting the health of the younger generation”. This helps to avoid subjective interpretations and ensures the accuracy and objectivity of historical research. The facts and conclusions proposed by the author open up the possibility of not only a retrospective analysis but also an assessment of the effectiveness of health-saving measures.

Helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) in Japan, known as "Doctor Heli," have revolutionized emergency medical care since their inception in 2001. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the system's evolution, current operations, and future prospects. Japan's HEMS program, born from lessons learned during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, has grown to 57 units across 46 prefectures, handling approximately 30,000 dispatches annually. The system's primary goal is early medical intervention, significantly improving patient outcomes with a 27% decrease in mortality rate and a 47% reduction in severe aftereffects compared to ground ambulance transport. Despite its success, the system faces challenges such as lack of nationwide standardization and shortage of specialized personnel. To address these issues, advanced technologies like the Medical Trainer simulation system and internet protocol-based mobile radio are being introduced. These innovations aim to enhance training, improve communication, and standardize operations across regions. Furthermore, Japan's HEMS system is expanding its influence internationally, collaborating with countries in Asia and Europe to share knowledge and best practices. As Japan continues to refine its HEMS program, integrating technological advancements and strengthening international cooperation, it not only enhances the quality of domestic emergency medical care but also contributes to the global advancement of pre-hospital care systems.

ABSTRACT “Not just friends, not quite lovers” is how a Filipina migrant domestic worker described her ambiguous relationship with another Filipina worker in Hong Kong. This article examines this leaky fluid experience of migrant women’s intimacies as a critical entry point to rethink migrant’s queer sociality and relational practices of love and care. I argue that migrant women’s intimate relationships with each other are structured alongside the neoliberal logics of domestic care in racial capitalism. Yet, it has a different relationship to racial capitalism. Migrant women’s intimacy queers and disorientates the logics and power structure that limits migrant women’s bodies to be just care giving bodies. By caring for one another, migrant workers resist the commodification of their bodies as disposable commodities. Instead, they offer their own articulations of sociality that reimagine logics of care in the chain of care framework in three ways, first, they disrupt ideas of classed heteronormative intimacies within and beyond Hong Kong; following this, they interrupt the logic of care as they redirect care away from the “proper subjects of care”; and, third, these intimate acts rewrite imaginations of power relations about how one should be cared (and/or care) for in the global care economy.

Analysis of Biophilic Design Patterns in Domestic and International Elderly Care Facility Lobbies

The study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the experiences of private-sector working women during a crisis, focusing on the COVID-19 period. Using a qualitative approach and the Reuben Hill’s ABCX family crisis model, this study delves into the nuanced struggles of these women and how they faced these adversities; such findings often get obscured in the aggregate nature of quantitative analysis. Utilizing eighteen in-depth interviews, which included sixteen Bangladeshi white-collar working women from the private sector in their early and mid-level careers and two experts in gender studies, we investigated three recurring themes: work-life balance disruption, organizational support, and leadership roles. The findings reflect how the women experienced significant stress when balancing remote work with additional household responsibilities and chores, especially when they lacked substantial support from family members. At the same time, the importance of organizational support in adapting to the changing environment is highlighted in the findings, which can enable organizations to incorporate gender aspects when formulating policies. The additional caregiving responsibilities at home during crisis harm their job and career, affecting their leadership potential. Furthermore, the findings emphasize the unseen and undervalued nature of unpaid domestic care work primarily carried out by women during COVID-19. By recognizing and addressing this issue and developing policies that support the reduction and redistribution of unpaid care work, we can alleviate the hardships faced by women during any crisis. Social Science Review, Vol. 41(2), December 2024, pp. 1-28

For several decades, European policymakers have been investing substantial efforts in boosting national and individual engagement for lifelong learning (LLL) to drive sustainable growth and to build a more inclusive society. The forecasted longevity of the European population and the potentially extended employment period warrant further research on adult education of the currently aging (migrant) labour population to draw conclusions on their potential for both, increased civic participation and social inclusion beyond their working life. Accordingly, this paper focused on competence building practices of female middle-aged migrant healthworkers, covering thus a range of categories that are highly vulnerable at the labour market and in society. Findings of this qualitative research with 23 Romanian domestic careworkers in Turin suggest that formal and informal adult training may have indeed a substantial impact on social inclusion in the host society.

Aim of the study: This study investigates the unpaid domestic care work of women factory workers and its impacts on their economic value and emotional well-being in the urban stings of Gilgit. It seeks to highlight the often-overlooked contributions of women in the domestic sphere and the dual burdens of paid and unpaid labor they shoulder. Methodology: adopting quantitative research approach, data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to a random sample of women factory workers. The survey instrument, based on Tabassum et al. (2023), encompassed diverse domains of care dimension; including child care, elderly care, and special need care. Findings: the results reveal significant time allocation of unpaid care work, which adversely affects the economic well- being of the participants. Women reported high levels of stress and emotional exhaustion, compounded by the lack of recognition and financial compensation for their domestic contributions. Conclusion: The study underscores the urgent need of policy interventions to recognize and value unpaid care work, promoting gender equality and economic justice. It advocates for systemic changes to support women balancing paid and unpaid responsibilities. This research contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the multifaceted impacts of unpaid domestic care work and offers actionable insights for policymakers, academics and activists. Future studies should explore intersectional experiences of women in varying socio-economic contexts inform more inclusive and effective policy frameworks.