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This thesis contributes to the feminist economics' literature on caring labour with an empirical study of aged care nursing. This study critiques the positivist paradigm of neoclassical economics and argues that the Cartesian dualisms deeply embedded in both neoclassical economics and medicine result in an undervaluing of caring labour. Data was collected from nurses and managers working in residential aged care facilities in metropolitan Adelaide. Qualitative methods are utilised to uncover the role of nursing culture, underpinned by notions of gender, embedded in aged care nurses' work. This study explores how dualistic constructs such as love versus money and public versus private have become central to nursing work and impact on the way nurses' work is valued in residential aged care. The feminist economics' concept of provisioning provides a framework in which nurses' work can be valued. This framework is used to present a matrix to illustrate how nurses' work crosses these dualisms and uses a 'web of meaning' as a conceptual device to explain the inter-connectedness of nurses' work. The feminist economics' concept of provisioning is used as a means of overcoming the limitations that a dualistic world view has imposed on understanding the complexities of paid caring work. The empirical evidence presented in this thesis shows that aged care nurses do both nursing work and training in unpaid time and are vulnerable to exploitation. The remuneration they are paid is inadequate when the difficulty of the work they do and the level of responsibility they take is recognised. Their work contains a strongly non-commodified element, where the development of two-way relationships between nurses and the people they care for, their relatives and friends, other staff and the wider community are important. A key conclusion is that nurses focus on the intrinsic rewards of their work, which are undermined because aged care nursing is under-resourced. In particular, nurses do not have enough time to be caring which impacts negatively on their job satisfaction and the level of care they can provide.

Many Supported Residential Facility (SRF) residents express a desire to live in more independent accommodation, however relatively few achieve this. Two of the issues preventing this are a lack of housing alternatives and support. This study examines the relevant literature and legislation, to gather documentary evidence and demographic data about South Australian SRFs and their residents. This is augmented by interviews with five key informants, to discover what other factors inhibit SRF residents from moving on to alternative accommodation. Findings indicate that recovery and rehabilitation are inhibited in SRFs and that current standards are barely sustaining people. Data suggests that legislation has a negative impact on residents and service delivery. This research recommends that the South Australian Government take up its legislative and ministerial responsibility to SRFs and their residents as a matter of urgency, especially in relation to fire safety. Secondly, that there is a review of The Legislation to incorporate citizenship rights and individualised care. And lastly, that in the interim, funding tied to service agreements is made available to SRFs, so that they become a place to recover and not the end of the line.