Nurses, social workers and teachers: Women are most of our carers, but who cares for them?

Many also work in jobs that provide care to others – as nurses, teachers, domestic workers, social workers and community health workers. The report, Gender Disparities in Care Work in South Africa, examines care work through household, education, employment, income and service-access data. Women carry the heavier load on their backsThe report identifies women as the main providers of unpaid care in South Africa. They also made up 87.2% of nursing and midwifery workers and 91.9% of social work associate professionals. Non-urban households generally faced longer journeys to healthcare facilities, adding time and pressure to the unpaid care work carried out at home.