Caregiving Is Real Work — Let’s Treat It That Way | The Way We Work, a TED series

Every day, people around the world spend 16 billion hours

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: SF Huang

每天，世界各地的人 會花一百六十億個小時

on unpaid care work --

在無薪的照護工作上——

cooking for their families, cleaning up after them,

為家人煮飯，為他們收拾善後，

caring for children and older relatives

照顧孩子或年邁的親戚，

and all the other routine household tasks.

以及所有其他例行的家事。

These activities are happening all day, at every hour, in every country

這些活動每天、每小時、 在全世界每個國家中進行。

around the world.

But because many don't get paid for this work,

但因為通常做這類工作是無薪的， 大部分人將之視為理所當然。

most of us take it for granted.

[The Way We Work]

〔我們的工作之道〕

Care work is a catch-all term for all the tasks and chores

照護工作是個總稱，

包括所有為了服務他人 而做的差事和雜務。

that are done in service of other people.

Some care work is paid, like medicine, nursing or being a nanny,

有些照護工作是有薪的， 如醫療、護理或當保姆，

but a tremendous amount is done for free.

但非常大量的照護工作是免費的。

And this unpaid care work is overwhelmingly done by women.

且這些無薪的照護工作幾乎 一面倒都是由女性在做。

There have been so many women in my own life

我自己的人生中就有好多女性

who provided both paid and unpaid care work.

提供有薪的以及無薪的照護工作。

My mother and my grandmother before her.

我母親，在她之前則是我外婆．

Eswari, who was nursing my grandmother in her final years.

伊蘇莉，我外婆 最後一段日子的看護。

Patricia, who cares for my children when I travel for work.

派翠夏，我工作出差時 幫我照顧小孩的人。

And I've been an unpaid caregiver, too,

我也當過無薪的照護者，

caring for my immediate family,

照顧我的直系親屬，

but also spending several months caring for ailing friends, their children

也曾花了數個月的時間， 照顧生病的友人、他們的孩子，

and my dad in his last days.

並在我爸爸最後的日子照顧他。

I've come to realize that unpaid care work

我漸漸了解，無薪的照護工作 讓所有其他工作成為可能。

makes all other work possible.

During the COVID pandemic,

在新冠疫情期間，

with the closure of schools and the strain on the health care system,

學校關閉，健康照護體系非常吃緊，

the amount of time spent on unpaid care and domestic work doubled

雙薪家庭花費在無薪 照護和家務工作的時間

for working parents.

加倍了。

This has been a disaster for women around the world.

對世界各地的女性而言， 這是場災難。

Compounding the stress

壓力倍增，這同時讓數百萬人 退出勞動市場。

and pushing millions out of the paid labor market altogether.

It set the clock back on progress by decades.

它讓人類的進步倒退了數十年。

But at the same time,

但同時，

the pandemic also made care work visible.

疫情也讓照護工作能被看見。

It showed up in the background of our Zoom calls

它出現在我們視訊會議的背景中， 以及我們得限制加班的需求中。

and in our need to limit overtime.

And so many workplaces were able to integrate

許多工作場所能夠做到整合 甚至欣然接受這個新的現實。

and even celebrate this new reality.

Right now, we have an incredible opportunity

現在，我們有非常好的機會

to recognize the care work in our lives, reframe it for ourselves

承認我們生命中的照護工作， 為我們自己重新定義它們，

and build workplaces that are much more accommodating of it.

並讓工作場所更能通融配合它們。

And here's where we can start.

我們可以從這裡著手：

If you are someone providing care,

如果你是提供照護的人，

the biggest thing you can do is name it for yourself and for others.

你所能做最重要的事， 就是將它們命名，

為你自己，也為他人， 把它們稱為照護工作。

Care work.

It's not a distraction

若你在有薪工作外還得做照護 工作，它們不是讓你分心的事，

if you're fitting it around paid employment.

You're not "taking a break"

若你在休假期間照顧有需要的人， 你並不是「在休息」。

if you’re on sabbatical caring for someone in need.

這些是真實的、重要的工作，

This is real, critical work

that can be exhausting, frustrating and even boring.

可能會很累人、

讓人有挫折感、甚至很無趣。

Give yourself permission to feel all of the emotions you'd feel

允許你自己去感受所有 做有薪工作時會有的情緒。

if the work came accompanied by a paycheck.

And when you're talking to your manager about it,

當你和你的主管談這件事時， 不用覺得你需要道歉。

don't feel like you need to apologize.

切記，這是人生中的事實，

Remember, this is a fact of life,

and be as explicit as you can about your needs.

盡可能明確表達你的需求。

Do you need three months at home

你需要待在家三個月？

or do you need Tuesday mornings for a standing appointment?

還是你固定都需要 把星期二早上空出來？

As a caregiver,

身為照護者，知道你從這份工作中 得到什麼技能也很重要。

it's also important to recognize the skills that you gain doing this work.

There is so much involved with giving care --

提供照護牽扯很多——

handling transport, logistics,

處理交通、物流、

interpreting medical charts, managing financials.

詮釋醫療圖表、管理財務。

These are valuable skills

這些都是可貴的技能， 在任何情境都派得上用場。

that are relevant to all kinds of contexts.

So if you have a job, frame caregiving to your colleagues that way.

如果你有工作，用這種方式 向你的同事說明照護。

And if you’re looking for paid work,

如果你在找有薪工作，別把 照護當作你人生中的空窗期。

don't treat it as a big empty gap in your life.

Put it on your CV and outline the skills that you've gained from it.

把它寫在你的履歷上， 說明你從中獲得的技能，

Skills like multitasking,

比如多重任務處理、

project management or communication.

專案管理或溝通。

But of course it's not just on individuals

但當然不能只靠個人來改變 外在世界如何看待照護工作。

to change how the wider world thinks about care work.

We need systemic change from employers, too.

我們也需要雇主改變制度。

The biggest thing that employers can do

雇主所能做最重要的事，

is to make space for employees to talk about care work

是給員工可以談論照護工作的空間，

without being penalized or seen as less focused or dedicated.

讓他們不會被懲罰 或被視為不專心或不投入。

Caregiving should be a topic that's brought up early

照護是新員工訓練初期 就應該要提起的主題。

when new employees first start their training.

Workplaces should track and understand the kind of care work

工作場所應該要追蹤和了解 員工要負責什麼樣的照護工作，

employees are responsible for

and what kind of policy changes are needed to make their lives better

以及需要如何改變政策才能 讓他們過得更好、更有生產力。

and more productive.

雇主應該確保照護者 不會因為他們在家的責任

And employers should make sure that caregivers aren't passed over

for key projects or promotions just because of their duties at home.

而無法參與重大專案計畫或晉升。

Caregiving is such a fundamental aspect of being human,

照護是身為人很基本的一部分，

and yet it's so artificially cleansed from our work lives.

卻被以人為的方式， 從我們的工作生活中清除。

Instead of treating it like a secret,

工作場所可以不要再把它當 秘密來看待，而是搬上檯面，

workplaces can bring it out into the open.

當然，工作場所需要提供彈性

And of course, workplaces need to offer flexibility

以滿足照護者的實際需求。

to accommodate the lived realities of caregivers.

For employees who are parents,

針對有孩子的員工，除了育嬰假，

in addition to parental leave,

this means allowing them time off when kids are sick or home from school.

彈性意味著在他們的孩子生病 或下課時允許他們請假。

It means letting them establish dark zones in their calendar

也意味著讓他們在他們的 日曆中設定休息時段，

around school drop offs, bath time, bedtime rituals

來配合學校接送、

洗澡、上床儀式，並尊重這些界線。

and respecting those boundaries.

It means offering remote work options.

也意味著提供遠距工作的選項。

For people caring for elders or those who are sick or disabled,

對於要照顧長者或病人 或身心障礙人士的員工，

this means giving them reasonable amounts of leave.

彈性意味著提供他們 合理的休假天數。

It means building projects that are based on milestones and deliverables,

彈性意味著要依據階段性目標 和完成度來設計專案計畫，

rather than relying on frequent meetings and check-ins alone.

而不是只靠經常性地開會和打卡出席。

It means being really flexible

彈性意味著在何時、何處 完成工作要非常靈活變通。

about when and where the work gets done.

And workplaces often thrive as a result.

通常結果是工作場所 也會跟著成長茁壯。

And one final point.

最後一點，

Care work is one of the fastest-growing sectors of our economy.

照護工作是我們經濟中 成長最快速的行業之一。

As a result of a growing and an aging population,

因為人口不斷成長和老化，

over two billion people in the world will need care by 2030.

到 2030 年，全世界會有 超過二十億人需要照護。

This means that the time is now to shift the way we think about caring for them.

這意味著現在就應該要改變 我們對照護的想法。

This aging population is going to need support.

老化的人口將來會需要支助。 他們會需要新的解決方案。

They're going to need new solutions.

This means innovations, jobs, new industries.

意即：創新、工作、新產業。

And where many other jobs are lost to automation,

自動化讓許多其他工作消失，

the one job that we're so uniquely good at as humans

但有一項工作是唯獨 我們人類才非常擅長的，

is caring for other humans.

那就是照顧其他人。