Professor Sara Charlesworth, Dr Fiona Macdonald and Dr Lydia Hayes (Cardiff) are involved in the development of a research agenda on gender-based violence in home care as part of a major global ESRC-funded research project on the Legal Regulation of Unacceptable Forms Of Work: Global Dialogue/Local Innovation led by Professor Deirdre McCann (Durham).  

The research focuses on gender-based violence in home care (the care of vulnerable older people and people with disability in their own homes) as an ‘unacceptable form of work’ and locates it within the broader context of the insecure and poor working conditions associated with home care.

The project aims to identify strategic regulatory levers to address this form of unacceptable work. It draws on a cross-national comparison of regulation in the UK and Australia and involves key policy actors and advocates in the co-production of a research agenda.

Sara and Lydia are also working on a gender-based violence policy brief for the International Labour Organization together with Professor Rinie Schenck (Western Cape) and Professor Derick Blaauw (North-West).

This policy brief connects gender-based violence with violations of labour rights and will provide contrasting case studies in highly masculinised work (day labourers in South Africa) and in highly feminised work (home care workers in Australia and the UK) highlighting regulatory strategies to address these unacceptable forms of work.