South Asian Young Adult Carers in England – Are Their Aspirations Gendered?

Abstract Book of the 7th Global Conference on Women’s Studies

Year: 2025

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South Asian Young Adult Carers in England – Are Their Aspirations Gendered?

Dr. Kathrin Bereiter

ABSTRACT:

The 2021 census showed that 215,365 young people in England (18-24 years) were providing unpaid care and some were caring very intensively – 50 or more hours weekly (ONS, 2023). Young people are expected to undertake ‘normative’ transitions to adulthood (e.g. education, employment), but the caring role impacts negatively on their lifepaths. Facilitating positive transitions to adulthood involves identifying young adult carers’ needs and aspirations and providing relevant support (Children’s Society, 2019). Our current research in England aims to identify the aspirations of South Asian young adult carers, especially women, and if they are receiving support from social care services that can help them achieve their goals. This paper will report on work in progress to identify how culture and migration shape aspirations and the role of gendered assumptions and expectations in influencing early lifepaths.

Keywords: carers, transitions, aspirations, culture