What is the link between childcare strategies and the job of caregivers?

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the childcare strategies of working women, in terms of their participation and their hours of dedication. The data come from the Survey of Care Strategies for Montevideo and the Metropolitan Area, representative of households with a dependent population. The main findings account for two cases of risk for the economic autonomy of women. In 1 of every 3 households in the low SES, we find traditional households of Sole provider and Sole caregiver, which implies vulnerability in access to rights to work for women and absence of men in the responsibility of care. Almost 1 in 4 households in the middle sectors respond to the Double provider model, but only one caregiver, that is, women who work full-time but who only dedicate time to care. Parents who undertake little care and women who face the stresses of paid work and care risk their ability to maintain their economic autonomy.