The image of elderly care in the midst of a care crisis

– a discourse analysis of lower secondary school students’ articulations of care workers’ tasks, working conditions and skills

Abstract

Recruitment problems in elderly care present a severe welfare crisis in Denmark and internationally. Recently, studies indicate that a central barrier is the negative image that surrounds care workers. However, little attention has been given to how potential recruitment targets such as lower secondary school students perceive care work. Therefore, this article explores the discourse on care workers through the students’ articulations. Based on interview data, we conduct a Laclau and Mouffe-inspired discourse analysis which reveals how a negative discourse dominates the students’ articulations of care workers. Central to the discourse is a one-dimensional depiction of care workers’ tasks as ‘wiping asses’. This expression reduces care workers’ occupation to dirty work, reproducing the stigmatization and marginalization that has traditionally been attached to care work. Our findings point to the need of changing the dominating discourse about care work in order to strengthen the possibilities for recruiting young people to the elderly care sector.