The importance of recognition

Summary

Many people manage the dual roles of employment and providing unpaid care for an older relative. Although this is increasingly common, carers frequently observe that their caring role is undervalued. This lack of recognition and the adverse consequences that flow from it are of increasing interest to policymakers, advocacy bodies, and employers who have advanced legislative, policy, and workplace accreditation initiatives to enhance recognition of caring. However, the design and impact of these initiatives are constrained by the scarcity of research on carer recognition, its predictors, and its outcomes. Drawing on data from the Australian National Carer Survey, we utilise path analysis to test a conceptual model outlining how life experiences shape carer recognition and subsequent personal outcomes. Our findings provide support for the mediating role of carer recognition linking care-related disruptions in multiple domains (aged care services, employment, family) with carer outcomes (social connectedness, personal well-being, psychological distress, personal time alongside caring). Employees who experienced less disruption in aged care services, employment, and family domains reported higher carer recognition and better outcomes than employees with more disruptive experiences in each domain. The findings suggest new points of intervention to enhance carer perceptions of recognition, and in turn, carer outcomes.