Carpenter E S
Med Care. 1980 Dec;18(12):1208-18. doi: 10.1097/00005650-198012000-00006.
The pivotal role of women as wife, mother or adult daughter in performing health-related activities for family members has received little attention from health researchers or policymakers. Yet the majority of health problems do not reach the medical care system, but are dealt with informally or through other social systems. This article discusses the impact of family health care responsibilities on women's market and nonmarket roles in two areas: home nursing care for children's illnesses and escorting children to sources of formal medical care. National data on the incidence of children's illnesses provide the basis for an analysis of the contribution to absenteeism among employed women represented by care of an ill child. Similarly, data from the National Ambulatory Care Survey form the basis for estimates of the economic value of escort time involved in children's medical care. The analysis suggests that policies directed to assuring adequate health care for children take account of the informal, nonmarket health services in which women now play the major role. It must also be recognized that women's changing labor market roles are affecting the availability of these services and increasing their costs to the women who provide them.
女性作为妻子、母亲或成年女儿在为家庭成员开展与健康相关活动中所起的关键作用，几乎未得到健康研究人员或政策制定者的关注。然而，大多数健康问题并未进入医疗保健系统，而是通过非正式方式或其他社会系统来处理。本文讨论了家庭医疗保健责任对女性在两个方面的市场和非市场角色的影响：照顾儿童疾病的家庭护理以及陪同孩子前往正规医疗服务机构。关于儿童疾病发病率的全国数据为分析照顾患病儿童对职业女性缺勤率的影响提供了依据。同样，来自国家门诊护理调查的数据为估算儿童医疗护理中陪同时间的经济价值奠定了基础。分析表明，旨在确保儿童获得充足医疗保健的政策应考虑到女性目前发挥主要作用的非正式、非市场健康服务。还必须认识到，女性不断变化的劳动力市场角色正在影响这些服务的可获得性，并增加了提供这些服务的女性的成本。
