What is care work? Thanks for asking!

This subcategory of the workforce includes jobs that provide services to other people. Despite doing work that is physically and emotionally demanding, care workers have long been underpaid and underappreciated in society. 

But since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, they have been widely hailed as heroes. In many countries, citizens under lockdown have been holding a minute’s applause from their balconies on a daily basis, in honour of care workers.

So, who exactly are we talking about?

Of course, anyone in the healthcare sector is by definition a care worker. Through the nature of their work, people working in a hospital are at a greater risk of being infected. That’s especially true for those who have hands-on contact with infected patients, like nurses, doctors and their assistants. They are frequently referred to as being the “front line” in the fight against coronavirus. But sometimes they are being sent into battle without adequate protective equipment, like masks and gloves.

The role of workers in care homes is just as important. The older a person infected with coronavirus is, the more likely they are to have serious symptoms. Anyone who looks after one or more dependent people can be considered a care worker. So that includes childcare workers, although schools and nurseries are closed in many places for the time being. 

What are the demographics of care workers? And will care workers get greater recognition once the coronavirus pandemic calms down? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:

What is lockdown?

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