Ill-health in the family: the intersection of employment and caring across households from four ethnic groups

The employment rates of both disabled people and those from minority ethnic groups are subject to substantial UK policy attention. In this paper we set out to enhance understanding of the relationship with the labour market for those living with longterm illness and their family members. We explore the role of family caring responsibilities and ethnicity in shaping patterns of employment participation. We do this by investigating the experiences of those from four different ethnic groups and using a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach. Introduction The employment rates of both disabled people and those from minority ethnic groups are subject to substantial UK policy attention, in a context of increasing employment targets. A recent Green Paper (DWP, 2007a) has confirmed full employment as the central plank of welfare policy and that being ‘in work’ means being ‘better off’. Policy emphasis on the positive benefits of work, for the economy and for reducing individuals’ poverty risks, has been accompanied by empirical investigation of the precise nature of barriers to employment. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the situation of those both with long-term health conditions, and from minority ethnic groups. Despite recent research on disability and ill-health within the family and its relationship to labour market participation (McKay and Atkinson, 2007; Atkinson, Finney and McKay, 2007), the intersection between ethnicity and ill-health and the ways in which they are lived out within households deserves greater attention. In this paper we set out to enhance understanding of the relationship with the labour market for those living with long-term illness and their family members. We explore the role of family caring responsibilities and ethnicity in shaping patterns of