Class, gender and wealth: How assets shape access to long-term care

To what extent are gender inequalities recognised in the context of accessing welfare policies?  

Our April CHASM Seminar will be delivered by Dr Stephan Köppe, Assistant Professor of Social Policy at University College Dublin.

Welfare state research has illustrated how gender inequalities of employment and income limit social citizenship rights. Yet, corresponding gender wealth gaps have been largely ignored in the context of accessing welfare policies. By drawing on the capabilities approach the authors, Stephan Köppe and Dr Dorota Szelewa, link the literature on class, gender and wealth and how these intersect the real use of social policies.

Empirically, Stephan and Dorota study the Irish Nursing Home Support Scheme, called the Fair Deal, that draws heavily on personal income and wealth before the state covers nursing home fees. They apply microsimulations for stacking and profiling income, wealth and state support to identify agency inequalities. Their results demonstrate that although women have lower income and wealth on average, affluent men and women benefit more from the scheme. These affluent nursing home residents can also shield the largest share of their inheritance, which suggests potential gendered bequest patterns, raising concerns about intergenerational inequality.

Presenter - Dr Stephan Köppe

Stephan is Assistant Professor of Social Policy at University College Dublin and fellow at the Geary Institute for Public Policy. His research investigates the nexus of public and private welfare. This includes both the political economy of welfare market creation and analyses of inequalities resulting of these reforms. This includes policy studies on housing wealth, provision of long-term care, private pension or private schools. More recently, his research also includes family sociology with a focus on large families, family conflicts and paternity/parental leave schemes.

Registration

Hosted on Zoom, this event is free to attend. Register online to receive details to access the event.