Oxfam's work on care aims to find solutions to the challenge of providing effective care whilst also ensuring women's rights. Oxfam has developed a Rapid Care Analysis (RCA) to assess context-specific patterns of unpaid household work and care of people. Designed to integrate into existing tools on livelihoods, food, security or vulnerability, it makes visible how care responsibility impacts women's time, health or mobility, and identifies practical interventions to help ensure that women can participate fully in and benefit equally from development programmes.

1. Rapid Care Analysis
for development programs
Initial Findings and Methodology
Thalia Kidder
October 2013

2. WHY CARE?

3. Investing in care…
•
Has a widespread, long-term, positive impact on wellbeing and
development
•
Is critical to address inequality and vulnerability
Page 3

4. Our approach
•
•
•
•
Recognise* care work
Reduce difficult, inefficient tasks
Redistribute responsibility for care more
equitably - from women to men, and from
families to the State/employers
Representation of carers in decision-making
… as a precondition for achieving
women‟s political, social and
economic empowerment, and
addressing poverty and inequality
* “Three Rs of Unpaid Work” Prof. Diane Elson 2008
Page 4

5. Organisational challenges
“I don’t know
how to start”
“I‟m funded to
do something
else”
“It‟s hard to
show positive
impact”
“Care is a culturally
sensitive, private
issue”
“It‟s a long-term,
complicated
process”
?
“My manager and
the donor aren‟t
convinced”
“I want to do
advocacy work
but I have no
evidence”
“I have very
little time or
money…”
“Focus on a
women’s issue
in a mixed
group??”
Page 5

6. Principles and purpose
Rapid Care Analysis (RCA) is a 1-2 day exercise with focus groups of
12-20 women and men, a first step to addressing care in development.
RCA is designed to show that „care‟ is ….
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Significant: Collects evidence of the problems;
quantitative data, stories and visual outputs
Relevant: Improves impact of wider initiatives
Feasible: Practical proposals for short term
Appealing: Men involved; addressing care is a
„societal issue‟ about well-being
Compelling: Leads to transformational change
Flexible: In a range of cultures/programmes
Workable: Simple, user-friendly exercises
Inspiring: RCA aims to „open the door‟ – get
more people and projects interested in care
RCA focus group in the
Philippines
Page 6

7. RAPID CARE ANALYSIS – WHAT DOES
IT LOOK LIKE?

8. STEP 1: Exploring relationships of care
•
•
•
What do we mean by „care work‟?
Whom do you care for?
Who cares for you and others?
Page 8

9. STEP 2: Unpaid & paid work activities
•
•
34
Identify work activities of women and men
Estimate average weekly hours spent on types of work
Housework and care of
family members: 31.3
h/wk
Care in others‟
homes: 2.9
h/wk
6.5
6.5 h/wk
Unpaid
agricultural
work for home
Agricultural
work for market
Unpaid
care work
Colombia:
Unpaid
community
work
Women’s 79-hr
average work
week
21 h/wk
Enterprise
9.5
Community activities
(village meetings,
volunteer health
work): 4.6 h/wk
Community service
(maintaining roads, water
ducts and collective
crops): 4.8 h/wk
29
8.3 h/wk
Page 9

10. STEP 3: Gender roles, changes & problems of care
Three focus groups – adapted to the context:
•
Gender and age analysis of care activities
•
Changes affecting care provision, e.g. migration, displacement,
drought, flood, conflict or government policy changes
•
Identify most „problematic‟ care activities, especially for women
Time burden
Limits
mobility
Affects carer’s
health
Preparing meals
lll
ll
lll
Providing moral
support
l
l
l
Cleaning House
ll
l
l
lll
lll
l
Nursing ill
people
Page 10

11. STEP 4: Options to reduce and redistribute
Community map of infrastructure and services that support care
Society provides care with „care diamond‟*: state, market, community, family
Examples:
• Water supply
• Electricity, fuel
• Washing facilities
• Health services
• Schools, childcare
• Grain mills, oil presses
• Shops
• Services for elderly, disabled or
HIV+ people
• Relatives
• Value of care in beliefs
* Shara Razavi 2007
Page 11

12. STEP 4: Options to reduce and redistribute care
•
Identify and prioritize options to address the problems of care provision
• Funding or
investment needed?
• External support?
• Social acceptance?
• Impact – how much
time saved for
women? Health
benefit? Mobility?
Page 12

13. FINDINGS FROM PROGRAMMES
USING RAPID CARE ANALYSIS

14. Where we’re doing Rapid Care Analysis
Honduras
Copan: OCDIH, Nuevo
Amanecer, beans and
cornflour marketing
project
Guatemala
Rural Women's
Alliance, food security
campaign
Colombia
Patugó: Women‟s
agricultural enterprise
project
UK
Bristol: Single Parents
Action Network, protecting
the rights and life chances
of single-parent families on
job-seeking benefits
Nicaragua
Chinandega,
Chontales, Leon:
Rural Women's
Coordination
Tanzania
Kishapu, Shinyanga:
Sustainable livelihoods
and sisal project
OPT
Gaza: Food processing
and ICT enterprise
development projects
Azerbaijan
Barda: „SMART‟
agricultural livelihoods
project and ending
violence against
women initiative
Bangladesh
Gaibandha: Gazaria
Union, sustainable
livelihoods in chillies
Philippines
Lanao del Sur,
Mindanao: Al Mujadilah
Development
Foundation (AMDF),
integral development
Sri Lanka
Omanthai and
Nedunkerney:
Sustainable livelihoods
in paddy and dairy
Page 14

15. Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Colombia
Honduras
Page 15
Women's care work
Women's work
Men's care work
Women's care work
Men's work
Women's work
Men's care work
Women's care work
Women's work
Men's care work
Women's care work
Men's work
Women's work
Men's care work
Women's care work
Men's work
Women's work
Hours of (care) work per week – women and men
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Tanzania

16. Tasks most impacting carers’ mobility, time, health
Childcare
Collecting Taking care Taking care Collecting
fuel and
of the
of husband
water;
preparing
elderly
/ extended
washing
meals
family
clothes
Cleaning
Protecting
the house
(staying at
home)
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Honduras
Nicaragua
OPT
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Tanzania
Page 16
Moving
during
flooding

17. Gaps identified in infrastructure and services
Water systems
Electricity
Childcare and
Health and
Transportation
play facilities social services and school
bus
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Colombia
Honduras
Nicaragua
OPT
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Tanzania
Page 17
Technology to
improve
cleaning and
cooking

18. How does care work affect programmes?
“Women have 8.5 hrs of care work a day;
men do only 1 hr. In the chilli harvest,
women work 2-3 hrs more, reducing
time for personal care and sleep –
usually only 6.5 hrs. If we don‟t reduce or
share care tasks, the project cuts into the
limited sleep and personal time of the
women we are trying to empower."Oxfam
staff, Bangladesh
“Having less care work for women
would definitely increase the
productivity of enterprises.
Women would be able to earn
more money and join activities
outside the house if there were
childcare available.” RCA
participants, OPT
Page 18

19. How does care work affect programmes?
“Most programmes lose
women’s participation because
of conflict with care activities. We
need to get more support from
the community and better
infrastructure from authorities.”
Oxfam staff, Sri Lanka
“Women have to collect water three
times a day walking 4km each
way, so while men can take sisal
harvest to the processing plant
twice a day, women can only go
once! We won't reach our desired
goals on economic and gender
justice if we ignore unequal care
work.” Oxfam staff, Tanzania
Page 19

20. Proposals and next steps – practical / quick
• Technology to decrease fuel and
time needed for meal preparation
and cooking (corn mill, dough
machine, improved/gas stoves,
refrigerators, pressure cooker ) –
Bangladesh, Colombia, Honduras,
OPT
• Household water systems –
Bangladesh, Philippines, Tanzania
• Technology to decrease time
cleaning and washing clothes
(drainage, washing machines, dryers,
vacuums) – Azerbaijan, Bangladesh,
Colombia, OPT, Sri Lanka
• Car to decrease time taken to buy
food shopping – OPT
• Recreational activities and psychosocial support from friends and
family to lower stress levels –
Colombia
RCA focus group in
Azerbaijan
Page 20

21. Proposals and next steps – gender relations
RCA focus group in
Tanzania
• Sharing care work with partners –
Bangladesh, OPT, Philippines, Sri
Lanka
• Sharing care work with other family
members – Colombia, Honduras,
OPT
• Cooking lessons for men –
Philippines
• Household discussions on sharing
care work – Colombia, Honduras,
Philippines, Sri Lanka
• Community discussions,
workshops and campaigns on
sharing care work – Honduras,
Philippines, Sri Lanka
Page 21

22. Proposals and next steps – advocacy
• Installing water pumps – Azerbaijan,
Philippines
• Installing electricity – Honduras,
Philippines, Sri Lanka
• Providing childcare services –
Azerbaijan, Colombia, Honduras, OPT,
Philippines
• Improving healthcare and sanitation
services – OPT, Philippines
• Providing public parks where children
can spend time safely – OPT
• Building capacity to improve and
enforce laws on labour and women’s
rights – OPT
• Providing a bus service to take children
to and from school – Sri Lanka
• Raising awareness on family planning
– Bangladesh
RCA focus group in
Colombia
Page 22

23. Participants’ comments on Rapid Care Analysis
“Women are really
overburdened; something
has to be done about this”
– Imam, Mindanao,
Philippines
“We are thankful to have seen
and understood the unequal
contribution of men and
women at household level.”
Men‟s group, Philippines
“We need to include young
people, boys and girls, in
the exercises.”
Bangladesh, Azerbaijan
“In the community map we
need to capture danger –
mobility is restricted due to
land mines, and from staying
in the house to avoid theft.”
Sri Lanka, Honduras
“Some participants have
managed to renegotiate
care activities with their
husbands and family
members.” Colombia
Page 23

24. Find out more…
www.oxfam.org.uk/care
Co-authors RCA Methodology & Guidance: Thalia Kidder and Carine Pionetti.
Communications: Imogen Davies
Contributors: Valeria Esquivel, Rosa Garwood, Nupur Kukrety, Roxanne Murrell, Hector Ortega, Catrina Pickering, Rosa Pasquier Urbina, Laura Phelps, Felipe Ramiro,
Lauren Ravon, Kate Raworth, Adriana Rodriguez, Jo Rowlands, Hugo Sintes, Ines Smyth, Caroline Sweetman, Jo Villanueva, Martin Walsh, and Phillipa Young.
For reports also thanks to: Norul Amin, Ala„a Eid, Sonali Gunasekera, Maite Matheu, Gunel Mehdiyeva, Celeste Molina, Zahria Mapandi, Shija Msikula, Jing Pura and
Shanmugaratnam Senthuran.
Page 24
Photo credits: Oxfam.

25. FOR A POWERPOINT VERSION OF
THIS PRESENTATION PLEASE EMAIL
THALIA KIDDER:
TKIDDER@OXFAM.ORG.UK