Care Full

@carefull.bsky.social

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Exploring care in a new economy, from @ruthhannan.bsky.social & @hannahwebster.bsky.social. Get in touch: hello@carefull.uk www.carefulleconomy.co.uk

Image of the sea with the text: Building a caring economy Renewing a welfare state adrift

New research from the High Pay Centre finds that amongst FTSE 100 companies, CEOs (median) income is 106x higher than that of their employees with a lower quartile income.

Assuming that these lowest incomes are at minimum wage and full time, then the income for unpaid carers receiving Carers Allowance is less than 5x this income again. Together, that means it would take unpaid carers around 45 years - for many their entire working lives - to receive the same income.

From rewarding paid to unpaid labour, our economy is broken. The myth that hard work pays off in our neoliberal economy is become ever harder to believe.

We need a fairer economy, one that closes the wealth gap and ensures everyone is able to live well.

IT TAKES UNPAID CARERS
45 YEARS
TO RECEIVE WHAT FTSE 100 CEOs EARN IN JUST
ONE MONTH

Guardian headline reading 'Our £5bn disability benefits cut will stop welfare state collapsing, says Kendall' with 'will stop' crossed out in red and replaced with handwriting reading 'is the' so that the headline now reads 'Our £5bn disability benefits cut is the welfare state collapsing, says Kendall'

"Government cuts put unpaid carers at risk of losing income of £1.2-£1.7bn, with nearly half of the loss on top of figures announced so far"

‘A social security system fit for the 21st Century is one we invest in’

'As International Women's Day morphs into all things for all people within its capitalist context, at Care Full we're left reflecting on how it can become an effective vehicle for systemic change beyond these confines. This challenge is neatly summed up by the theme this year: accelerating action. But in what direction? Towards what destination? And what if the vehicle itself has broken down?

"At Care Full we believe a shift away from a GDP-centric economy is vital. In an economy designed around people, not profit, having the mechanisms (like a good social security system) that enable us to live well - even when we’re sick - is crucial.

The Safe Sick Pay campaign is one way we can build the foundations of an economy that works for us in the 21st century. A guarantee that everyone can access sick pay, from the first day they need it, and that the money will be enough to get by on."

Red square image with the text 'On the day JRF find 28% of unpaid carers are living in poverty the government made a series of big economic announcements. But, rather than centring parts of our economy that have a tangible impact on our lives the Chancellor brought commitments drawn from a dangerously outdated playbook. We're stuck in a cycle rewarding big business, hoping on a wing and a prayer one day it will show up in our everyday lives."