Conceptualising and Measuring the Social Care Economy

In an open access article for the Journal of Global Ageing, Norah Keating, Jane Badets, and Fabio Robibaro propose a framework that is focused on social care and the social contract around this care, on care workers and care work, and on the valuing of this work.

Norah Keating is a member of the Care Economies in Context advisory board. Jane Badets is a Senior Advisor at Statistics Canada. Fabio Robibaro is PhD student in the Sociology Department at the University of Toronto and a Research Assistant for the Care Economies in Context project.

Citation

Keating, N., Badets, J., & Robibaro, F. (2025). Conceptualising and measuring the social care economy. Journal of Global Ageing, 2(2), 215–233. https://doi.org/10.1332/29767202Y2025D000000026

Abstract

In this article, we present a framework for the social care economy that aims to make care work visible. Care work remains undervalued in our societies and economies, and its workers often remain marginalised. We define the social care economy as that sector of the broader economy comprising paid and unpaid work provided to those needing assistance with daily functioning: young children, younger people with chronic conditions and disabilities, and older people with chronic conditions and disabilities. We specify data needs and identify gaps in determining the balance of state versus family responsibility for care and in documenting and making visible the work of paid and unpaid carers. We conclude with a discussion of how the framework might lead to insights into the well-being of carers and of the nations in which their care work is embedded.