Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T00:33:44.722Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The relationship between elder care-giving and labour force participation in the context of policies addressing population ageing: a review of empirical studies published between 2006 and 2016

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2018

MARGARET MALKE MOUSSA Open the ORCID record for MARGARET MALKE MOUSSA [Opens in a new window]
MARGARET MALKE MOUSSA*
Affiliation:
Discipline of Economics, School of Business, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
*
Address for correspondence: Margaret Malke Moussa, School of Business, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper systematically reviews empirical research published between 2006 and 2016 on the relationship between informal care-giving to elders and labour force participation (LFP). It does so in the context of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development policy responses to population ageing. In this context, conclusions regarding the LFP and care-giving relationship should at least be applicable to the sub-population of working-aged individuals who are most likely to provide informal elder care. Currently, these are women in mid-life and the recipients of their care are mostly extra-residential parents. The review's key conclusion is that mid-life women care-givers of elderly parents are significantly likely to reduce their working hours and also to work fewer hours relative to their non-care-giving counterparts. In drawing this conclusion, the review shows that studies finding only modest care-giving effects on LFP either do not adequately control for care-giving intensity or their conclusions apply to sub-populations less likely to be affected by policies addressing population ageing.

Keywords

care-givinginformal careelder carelabour force participationpopulation ageing
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 39 , Issue 6 , June 2019 , pp. 1281 - 1310
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Austen, S., Jefferson, T., Lewin, G. and Ong, R. 2015. Care roles and employment decision-making. Journal of Industrial Relations, 57, 5, 665–85.Google Scholar
Austen, S. and Ong, R. 2010. The employment transitions of mid-life women: health and care effects. Ageing & Society, 30, 2, 207–27.Google Scholar
Austen, S. and Ong, R. 2013. The effects of ill health and informal care roles on the employment retention of mid-life women: does workplace matter? Journal of Industrial Relations, 55, 5, 663–80.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2015. Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers 2015. Available online at http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/4430.0main+features402015 [Accessed 6 January 2017].Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2015. Informal Carers. Available online at https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/fad26891-17f6-4a52-a95d-219570189268/AW15-2-4-Informal-carers.pdf.aspx [Accessed 5 December 2016].Google Scholar
Bauer, J. M. and Sousa-Poza, A. 2015. Impacts of informal caregiving on caregiver employment, health and family. Population Ageing, 8, 3, 113–45.Google Scholar
Berecki-Gisolf, J., Lucke, J., Hockey, R. and Dobson, A. 2008. Transitions into informal caregiving and out of paid employment of women in their ‘50s. Social Science and Medicine, 57, 1, 122–7.Google Scholar
Bittman, M., Hill, T. and Thomson, C. 2007. The impact of caring on informal carers’ employment, income and earnings: a longitudinal approach. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 42, 2, 255–72.Google Scholar
Bolin, K., Lindgren, B. and Lundborg, P. 2008. Your next of kin or your own career? Caring and working among the 50 plus of Europe. Journal of Health Economics, 27, 3, 718–38.Google Scholar
Carmichael, F., Charles, S. and Hulme, C. 2010. Who will care? Employment participation and willingness to supply informal care. Journal of Health Economics, 29, 1, 182–90.Google Scholar
Carmichael, F. and Ercolani, M. 2016. Unpaid caregiving and paid work over life-courses: different pathways, diverging outcomes. Social Science and Medicine, 156, 1–11.Google Scholar
Carr, E., Murray, E. T., Zannitto, P., Cadar, D., Head, J., Stansfeld, S. and Stafford, M. 2016. The association between informal caregiving and exit from employment among older workers: prospective findings from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological and Social Sciences. Published online, on December 6th, 2016, doi:10.1093/geronb/gbwl56.Google Scholar
Casido-Marin, D., Garcia-Gomez, P. and Lopez-Nicolas, A. 2011. Informal care and labour force participation among middle-aged women in Spain. SERIEs, 2, 1, 1–29.Google Scholar
Ciani, E. 2012. Informal adult care and caregivers’ employment in Europe. Labour Economics, 19, 2, 155–64.Google Scholar
Colombo, F., Llena-Nazal, A., Mercier, J. and Tjadens, F. 2011. Help Wanted? Providing and Paying for Long-term Care. OECD Publications. Available online at http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/help-wanted-9789264097759-en.htm [Accessed 10 May 2017].Google Scholar
Crespo, L. 2008. Caring for Parents and Employment Status of European Mid-life Women. CEMDFI Working Paper, Madrid. Available online at http://www.cemfi.es/ftp/wp/0615.pdf [Accessed 15 May 2017].Google Scholar
Crespo, L. and Mira, P. 2014. Caregiving to elderly parents and employment status of European mature women. Review of Economics and Statistics, 96, 4, 693–709.Google Scholar
Dentinger, E. and Clarkberg, M. 2002. Informal caregiving and retirement timing among men and women. Journal of Family Issues, 23, 7, 857–79.Google Scholar
Drinkwater, S. 2015. Informal care and labour market outcomes within England and Wales. Regional Studies, 49, 2, 273–86.Google Scholar
Edwards, B., Higgins, D. J., Gray, M., Zimjewski, N. and Kingston, M. 2008. The Nature and Impact of Caring for Family Members with a Disability. Research Report 16, Australian Institute of Family Studies. Available online at http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/resreport16/report16pdf/rrl16.pdf [Accessed 20 April 2017].Google Scholar
Fast, J., Dosman, D., Lero, D. and Lucas, S. 2013. The Intersection of Caregiving and Employment Over the Lifecourse. Centre for Research on Aging Policies and Practice, University of Alberta. Available online at https://www.worklifecanada.ca/cms/resources/files/679/Caregiving_and_employment.pdf.Google Scholar
Fevang, E., Kvendokk, S. and Roed, K. 2012. Labor supply in the terminal stages of lone parents’ lives. Journal of Population Economics, 25, 4, 1399–422.Google Scholar
Fine, M. D. 2012. Employment and informal care: sustaining paid work and caregiving in community and home-based care. Ageing International, 37, 1, 57–68.Google Scholar
Giovenetti, E. R. and Wolff, J. L. 2010. Cross-survey differences in national estimations of numbers of caregivers of disabled older adults. The Milbank Quarterly, 88, 3, 310–49.Google Scholar
Gough, D., Oliver, S. and Thomas, J. 2013. Learning from Research: Systematic Reviews for Informing Policy Decisions. EPPI Centre, Nesta, London.Google Scholar
Gray, M. and Edwards, B. 2009. Determinants of the labour force status of female carers. Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 12, 1, 6–20.Google Scholar
Hassink, W. H. and Van den Berg, B. 2011. Time-bound opportunity costs of informal care: consequences for access to professional care, caregiver support and labour supply estimates. Social Science and Medicine, 73, 10, 1508–16.Google Scholar
He, D. and McHenry, P. 2016. Does formal employment reduce informal caregiving? Health Economics, 25, 7, 829–43.Google Scholar
Heckman, J. 1981. Heterogeneity and state dependence. In Rosen, S. (ed.), Studies in Labor Markets. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 91–140.Google Scholar
Heitmuller, A. 2007. The chicken or the egg? Endogeneity in labour market participation of informal carers in England. Journal of Health Economics, 26, 3, 536–59.Google Scholar
Henz, U. 2006. Informal caregiving at working age: effects of job characteristics and family configuration. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68, 2, 411–29.Google Scholar
Hunter, B., Gray, M. C. and Crawford, H. 2016. Who Cares and Does it Matter for the Labour Market? A Longitudinal Analysis of the Labour Force Status of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Carers. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Working Paper, number 105, April 2016.Google Scholar
Jacobs, J. C., Laporte, A., Van Houtven, C. H. and Coyte, P. C. 2014 a. Caregiving intensity and retirement status in Canada. Social Science and Medicine, 102, 174–12.Google Scholar
Jacobs, J. C., Van Houtven, C. H., Laporte, A. and Coyte, P. C. 2014 b. Baby Boomer Caregivers in the Workforce: Do They Fare Better or Worse Than Their Predecessors? Working Paper 2014-02, Canadian Centre for Health Economics. Available online at https://www.canadiancentreforhealtheconomics.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Jacobs-et-al.pdf [Accessed 5 April 2017].Google Scholar
Jacobs, J. C., Van Houtven, C. H., Laporte, A. and Coyte, P. C. 2014 c. The Impact of Informal Caregiving Intensity on Women's Retirement in the US. Working Paper 2014-09, Canadian Centre for Health Economics. Available online at https://www.canadiancentreforhealtheconomics.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Jacobs-et-al.pdf [Accessed 10 April 2017].Google Scholar
Johnson, R. W. and Lo Sasso, B. T. 2006. The impact of elder care on women's labor supply. Inquiry-Exellus Health Plan, 43, 3, 195–210.Google Scholar
Jones, M. K. and Latrielle, P. L. 2008. A picture of the work and well-being of working age carers in Wales: evidence from the Welsh Health Survey. Welsh Economic Review, 19, 2, 35–9.Google Scholar
King, D. and Pickard, L. 2013. When is a carer's employment at risk? Longitudinal analysis of unpaid care and employment in midlife in England. Health and Social Care in the Community, 21, 3, 303–14.Google Scholar
Kotsadam, A. 2011. Does informal eldercare impede women's employment? The case of European welfare states. Feminist Economics, 17, 2, 121–44.Google Scholar
Latif, E. 2006. Labour supply effects of informal caregiving in Canada. Canadian Public Policy, 32, 4, 413–29.Google Scholar
Lee, Y., Tang, F., Kim, K. H., Albert, S. M. 2015. Exploring gender differences in the relationship between eldercare and labour force participation. Canadian Journal of Aging, 34, 1, 14–25.Google Scholar
Leigh, A. 2010. Informal care and labor participation. Labour Economics, 17, 1, 140–9.Google Scholar
Lilly, M. B., Laporte, A. and Coyte, P. C. 2007. Labor market work and home care's unpaid caregivers: a systematic review of labor force participation rates, predictors of labor market withdrawal and hours of work. The Milbank Quarterly, 85, 4, 641–69.Google Scholar
Lilly, M. B., Laporte, A. and Coyte, P. C. 2010. Do they care too much to work? The effect of caregiving intensity on the labour force participation of unpaid caregivers in Canada. Journal of Health Economics, 29, 6, 895–903.Google Scholar
Lloyd, L., Tanner, D., Milne, A., Ray, M., Richards, S., Sullivan, M. P., Beech, C. and Phillips, J. 2014. Look after yourself: active ageing, individual responsibility and the decline of social work with older people in the UK. European Journal of Social Work, 17, 3, 322–35.Google Scholar
Masuy, A. J. 2009. Effect of caring for an older person on women's lifetime participation in work. Ageing & Society, 29, 5, 745–63.Google Scholar
Meng, A. 2012. Informal caregiving and the retirement decision. German Economic Review, 13, 3, 307–30.Google Scholar
Meng, A. 2013. Informal home care and labour force participation of household members. Empirical Economics, 44, 2, 959–79.Google Scholar
Mentzakis, E., McNamee, P. and Ryan, M. 2009. Who cares and how much? Exploring the dimensions of co-residential informal care. Review of Economics of the Household, 7, 3, 283–303.Google Scholar
Michaud, P.-C., Heitmuller, A. and Nazarov, Z. 2010 A dynamic analysis of informal care and employment in England. Labour Economics, 17, 3, 455–65.Google Scholar
Moscarola, F. C. 2010. Informal caregiving and women's work choices: lessons from the Netherlands. Labour, 24, 1, 93–105.Google Scholar
National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP 2015. Caregivers of Older Adults: A Focused Look at Those Caring for Someone Aged 50+. Available online at http://www.caregiving.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2015_CaregivingintheUS_Care-Recipients-Over-50_WEB.pdf [Accessed 2 May 2017].Google Scholar
Nguyen, H. T. and Connelly, L. B. 2014. The effect of unpaid caregiving intensity on labour force participation: results from a multinomial endogenous treatment model. Social Science and Medicine, 100, 115–22.Google Scholar
Nguyen, H. T. and Connelly, L. B. 2016. The Dynamics of Informal Care Provision in an Australian Household Panel Survey: Previous Work Characteristics and Future Care Provision. MPRA Paper 75331. Available online at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/75331/ [Accessed 15 June 2016].Google Scholar
Norman, P. and Purdham, K. 2013. Unpaid caring within and outside the carer's home in England and Wales. Population, Space and Place, 19, 1, 15–31.Google Scholar
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2016. OECD Labour Force Statistics 2015. Available online at http://www.oecd.org/employment/oecd-labour-force-statistics-23083387.htm [Accessed 4 June 2017].Google Scholar
Pavalko, E. K. and Henderson, K. A. 2006. Combining care work and paid work: do workplace policies make a difference? Research on Aging, 28, 3, 359–74.Google Scholar
Principi, A., Lamura, G., Sirolla, C., Mesthenous, L., Bien, B., Brown, J., Krevers, B., Melchiorre, M. G. and Dohner, H. 2014. Work restrictions experienced by midlife family caregivers of older people: evidence from six European countries. Ageing & Society, 34, 2, 209–31.Google Scholar
Proulx, C. and Le Bourdais, C. 2014. Impact of providing care on the risk of leaving employment in Canada. Canadian Journal on Aging, 33, 4, 488–503.Google Scholar
Rodrigues, R., Huber, M. and Lamura, G. (eds) 2012. Facts and Figures on Healthy Ageing and Long Term Care. European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, Vienna. Available online at http://www.euro.centre.org/data/LTC_Final.pdf.Google Scholar
Skira, M. 2015. Dynamic wage and employment effects of elder parent care. International Economic Review, 56, 1, 63–92.Google Scholar
Sovinsky, M. and Stern, S. 2016. Dynamic modelling of long-term care decisions. Review of Economics of the Household, 14, 2, 463–88.Google Scholar
Van Houtven, C. H., Coe, N. B. and Skira, M. M. 2013. The effect of informal care on work and wages. Journal of Health Economics, 32, 1, 240–52.Google Scholar
Viitanen, T. 2010. Informal eldercare across Europe: estimates from the European Community Household Panel. Economic Analysis and Policy, 40, 2, 149–78.Google Scholar
Vlachantoni, A. 2010. The demographic characteristics and economic activity patterns of carers over 50: evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Population Trends, 141, Autumn, 54–76.Google Scholar
Wakabayashi, C. and Donato, K. M. 2005. The consequences of caregiving: effects on women's employment and earnings. Population Research and Policy Review, 24, 5, 467–88.Google Scholar
Watson, N. and Wooden, M. 2002. Assessing the Quality of the HILDA Wave 1 Survey Data. HILDA Project Technical Paper 4/02, Department of Family and Community Services. Available online at http://hdl.handle.net/10620/3949 [Accessed 21 May 2017].Google Scholar
Watts, M. 2010. The Impact of Provision of Informal Care on Labour Force Participation Behaviour. Working Paper 10-02, Centre for Full Employment and Equity, University of Newcastle. Available online at http://e1.newcastle.edu.au/coffee/pubs/wp/2010/10-02.pdf [Accessed 4 November 2016].Google Scholar
Williams, A. M., Wang, L. and Kitchen, P. 2013. Differential impacts of caregiving across three caregiver groups in Canada: end-of-life care, long-term care and short-term care. Health and Social Care in the Community, 22, 2, 187–96.Google Scholar
Young, H. and Grundy, E. 2008. Longitudinal perspectives on caregiving, employment history and marital status in midlife in England and Wales. Health and Social Care in the Community, 16, 4, 388–99.Google Scholar