En Route to Recovery: Diversity and vulnerability in care work during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19大流行给世界各地的正式和非正式护理工作带来了前所未有的压力。矛盾的是，大流行创造了新的护理工作岗位和可能性，但这些工作仍然是体力和精神上的繁重工作，工资低，而且往往是固定期限、不稳定的合同和高流动率。考虑到感染和传播病毒的可能性，这些工作对工人的健康构成重大风险。我们的项目将重点关注从事COVID-19相关重要工作的员工：在组织和家庭环境中为弱势客户提供个人护理。我们将研究在正式和非正式护理领域工作的不同人群（芬兰、加拿大、苏格兰/英国和南非）如何通过合作研究他们的想法来缓解风险并开发提供和接受护理的机会，从而应对挑战。具体而言，我们将分析处于不稳定地位的护理工作者（妇女、LGBTI2S人群、移民身份或少数民族人群）在工作中如何经历COVID-19危机，以及他们如何看待大流行后的未来。我们的研究基于联合国（UN）研究复苏路线图和本次呼吁的重点，即减少不平等和脆弱性，建设一个有复原力、包容和可持续的社会。我们将采用定量和创新的定性方法来调查护理部门工作人员如何经历大流行，以及他们如何看待大流行后的工作时间。研究参与者将探索他们在大流行期间和之后的工作生活。我们将使用纵向参与方法（photovoice和soundsourcing）进行跨文化叙事分析。这一信息将辅以系统的文献综述和二手数据。我们将与利益攸关方合作，制定政策建议，并与负责护理工作者的机构和服务部门分享良好做法。我们与所有利益攸关方的合作方式将提供可持续的建议和政策建议，并应在全球范围内适用。

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented strains on formal and informal care work, worldwide. Paradoxically, the pandemic created new jobs and possibilities in care work, but the jobs remain physically and mentally strenuous, low paid, and often with fixed term, precarious contracts and high turnover rates. These jobs present significant health risks for workers, given the potential to contract and spread the virus. Our project will focus on employees performing vital COVID-19 related jobs: providing individual care to vulnerable clients in both organisational and home settings. We will examine how diverse people (in Finland, Canada, Scotland/UK and South Africa) who work/have worked in formal and informal care address challenges by collaboratively examining their ideas to ease risks and develop opportunities to deliver and receive care. Specifically, we will analyse how care workers in precarious positions (women, LGBTI2S people, and migrant status or minority ethnic people) are experiencing COVID-19 crises in their work, and how they see a post-pandemic future. Our research is based on the United Nations (UN) research recovery roadmap and this Call's focus on reducing inequalities and vulnerabilities, and building a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable society. We will apply both quantitative and innovative qualitative methods to investigate how care sector workers have experienced the pandemic and how they see their post-pandemic times at work. Research participants will explore their working lives during and after the pandemic. We will conduct a cross-cultural narrative analysis with an intersectionality approach using longitudinal participatory methods (photovoice and soundsourcing). This information will be supplemented with a systematic literature review and secondary data. In collaboration with stakeholders, we will develop policy recommendations and share good practices with institutions and services responsible for care workers. Our collaborative approach with all stakeholders will provide sustainable suggestions and policy recommendations that should have worldwide application.