Older women who continue to support adult children, grandchildren and other relatives are carrying a growing caregiving burden that needs greater attention, according to Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) president Marilyn Rice-Bowen.
Rice-Bowen made the call during the recent installation of the Executive Committee of the National Organisation of Women-Barbados (NOW) at the Valley Resource Centre in St George.
She urged NOW to make the experiences of women caregivers a greater part of its advocacy, saying the responsibility falls disproportionately on women and can affect their physical, mental and financial wellbeing.
Rice-Bowen said the issue was particularly concerning among women in retirement, many of whom were using a substantial portion of their retirement income to support their children and grandchildren.
“These women worked. They contributed. They raised families. They paid mortgages, bills and school fees,” she said.
Rice-Bowen, a former president of NOW who has led BARP for seven years, said women could reach senior positions in politics, business and public administration but were still often expected to shoulder most caregiving responsibilities at home.
She said many women continued caring for family members well into their later years, sometimes at the expense of their own wellbeing.
Rice-Bowen pointed to the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs’ Bureau of Gender Affairs initiative, “Pledge the Commitment, Share the Care”, which she recently endorsed on behalf of BARP.
However, she said more needed to be done to change attitudes surrounding caregiving.
“Caregiving is not women’s work,” Rice-Bowen said. “Caregiving is for everyone. It is family work. It is community work. And, ultimately, it is a societal responsibility.”
She said greater support for women caregivers was essential if Barbados was serious about empowering women and strengthening families and communities.
(PR)
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