Dr Maria Petrillo, Research Associate in the Centre for Care, will work to create the first population-scale estimate of the care pay gap in England.
Administrative Data Research (ADR) UK has awarded funding for 17 new Research Fellows, spanning topics of significant public and policy interest and using ADR datasets to fill evidence gaps.
Maria’s research will use the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), linked to Census data for 2011 across England and Wales. The project will explore how much unpaid carers lose in pay compared to people without caring responsibilities, and identify which carers, which places and which workplaces are worst affected.
The UK Government is currently reviewing carers' employment rights and the rules around Carer's Allowance earnings, yet evidence is limited on how much unpaid caring costs people in lost pay, or whether this falls more heavily on some groups or areas.
The research will help provide evidence for policymakers to better support carers within employment, rather than looking towards remedies that solely target the benefits system.
