INTRODUCTION TO INTERSECTING INEQUALITIES. Social Sciences Essay
Analytical Paper Requirements
For this essay, write a 5-6 page (excluding references), double-spaced paper where you analyze how intersecting inequalities shape the quality of care and quality of work depending on how the care is organized. This essay is cumulative, using Module 2 to understand the intersecting inequalities. In addition, compare and contrast intersecting inequalities in the different contexts covered in Module 3. This paper should explicitly use assigned readings, and lectures.
Organize the paper in essay format to discuss the following:
Briefly describe an intersectional approach to understanding how gender intersects with class, race, Indigeneity, immigrant status, disability and age to shape the conditions of work for those directly providing it (paid and unpaid) and the conditions of 'care' or support for those receiving it, drawing on select assigned readings and lectures from Module 2. To demonstrate understanding of an intersectional approach compare and contrast at least three types of care covered in Module 3 below:
- paid and unpaid caring for aging parents in private homes
- professional care in hospitals
- paid and unpaid care in long term residential care homes
- domestic work/Direct Funding
- marketized (for-profit) home care;
- non-profit home care/attendant services
The comparative analysis of intersecting inequalities should explicitly draw on relevant assigned readings, lectures and class discussions from module 3. Examples should be taken from the course readings and lectures (not from personal experience or media). Conclude the paper by mentioning at least one change that would improve the quality of care or the quality of work, drawing on course readings, lectures or class discussion.
Topic: Analysis of the intersecting inequalities that shape the quality of care and quality of work depending on how the care is organized, by comparing and contrasting 3 different types of care.
Note to the writer:
The required assigned readings and lectures to be used for the essay are attached separately.
The lectures for each module are attached separately and labelled MODULE 2 and MODULE 3 for easy reference.
Module 2: An Intersectional Framework for Gender and Care assigned readings include:
Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, and Week 6
Module 3: The Social Organization of Care assigned readings include:
Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, and Week 12
Please use the readings and lectures provided to support the paper - no outside resources are permitted. Please use ASA format to cite and provide a reference page.
Analysis of the intersecting inequalities that shape the quality of care and quality of work depending on how the care is organized, by comparing and contrasting 3 different types of care.
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INTRODUCTION TO INTERSECTING INEQUALITIES
Intersectionality entails the cross-analysis of many factors that affect a specific goal or phenomenon. Generally, intersectionality is linked to oppression secondary to a combination of many types of oppression drawn from the said factors. In class, the intersectionality of gender with class, immigrant status, indigeneity, disability, and paid and unpaid work.
To recap, gender intersects with the class when an individual’s social standing differs for men and women. This is most evident during the industrialization that emphasizes gendered responsibility. Here, women are branded to be only suitable for domestic work while men are raised to become workers in a hostile environment. This is also true for immigrant women (Arat-Koc, 2014: 431,438). An example of gender, race, and indigeneity intersection is when the indigenous women are subjected to domestic labor to produce high-quality clothes for the rich in Canada at the beginning of the 20th century. Without their works, the industry could not have survived (McCallum 2014: 22). Lastly, regarding the intersection between gender, work, and disability, women are more likely to be subjected to unpaid work by stressing that it is customary. This degrades the ability of women, especially those who have disabilities (Cranford 2020: 32). Gender and disability intersect due to the high regard of the Westerns with intelligence, thereby underestimating the capacity of those with impairments, especially those people with mental issues. The Westerns think that disabilities result from a failed medical therapy, which is an insult to intelligence. Thus, belittling disabled people, especially women (Oldfield and Hansen 2020: 132).
Intersectional Inequalities in Care Facilities
Paid and Unpaid Caring in Private Homes.
The aging parents are the primary benefactors of paid and unpaid caring in private homes. Due to their debilitated state and the lack of capacity to work for themselves, they are often left at home by their children. However, someone is assigned to take care of them. The type of assigned person, whether paid or unpaid, depends on many variables such as socio-economic status and cultural values. The intersection between these variables causes a dilemma to the stakeholders, particularly the aging parents' children (Funk and Kobayashi n.d.:172). Let us dissect the factors involved with these two variables. First, the lower the socio-economic status of the aging parent's children, the less likely they can provide the parent a high-quality care from another caregiver because it is often expensive. The working class, especially the poorer women, often take this responsibility, leading to a more significant constraint to their everyday lives (Funk and Kobayashi n.d.:177). Second, the cultural values, especially those with more incredible spiritual connections, are more inclined to love. Here, love is used to control the children who can hire a paid caregiver for their parents. By stressing that taking care of the aging parents “must be a loving choice,” the children conceal the obligation and assume the filial care work (Funk and Kobayashi n.d.:181). The term “family” is paralleled with “trust.” This leads to the compulsion to force the children to fulfill their filial duty to their parents (Cranford 2020:68).
On the other hand, paid work is also practiced by many when it comes to taking care of aging parents in a private home. An example of this is the In-Home Supportive Services, where the aging parent is entitled to hire a caregiver, with the hiring employer's recipient of care. This system is quite different because the hiring employer can pick immediate family members. One example is an interview with Maria, where she hired her son to become her caregiver. According to Maria, the setup provided her flexibility. Angelica, her daughter-in-law, stated that although it is a filial duty to take care of an aging parent, being paid enhances her efficiency. It is advantageous to both parties because the son and daughter-in-law were able to work full-time with their careers while also taking care of Maria (Cranford 2020:64).
Paid and Unpaid Care in Long-Term Residential Homes (LTRCs).
For many years, LTRCs are associated with more impoverished living conditions such as unsanitized or unhygienic areas, making the facility less friendly and more distasteful for the elderly. Despite this, LTRCs remain as places for work, especially for the vast majority of Canadians, many of whom are women. These facilities served as a gendered workplace, where women carry the majority of responsibilities, and the women of minority groups tend to be more discriminated against (Lowndes and Struthers 2016: 368). Before the pay for both men and women is equal, the volume of responsibility is almost the same. This was the time when there were still labor unions that fight for the rights of the workers. However, after these were abolished, the system took back its initial standing where the female laborers receive fewer wages than their male counterparts. Also, there are additional responsibilities for not paid women (Lowndes and Struthers 2016: 378). Because of these, women attendants tend to face low morale and the discernment of second-class status (Lowndes and Struthers 2016: 372).
Marketized Home Care.
Marketized home care, or those regulated by for-profit agencies, have a better hiring and employer-employee relationship system. However, intersectionality can be observed during the time of service and negotiations. Marketized home care's prima...