A Labor of Love or Labor Itself

Abstract

Although many have examined care work within families, few have assessed caregiving among adult brothers and sisters. Based on original data, this article lends a multifaceted view of sibling care work by examining the amount and kind of help adults provide to all siblings in their family and the manner in which the social characteristics of sibling care providers, recipients, their shared relationship, and the family of origin shapes caregiving. The authors found that the vast majority of adults provide a wide range of care to their siblings on a yearly, even monthly basis. Gender, age, and social class shape sibling help, whereas race exerts little effect. Unmarried parents receive significantly less help than do their married and childless counterparts. Finally, sibling care work depends on family context: Having a living parent facilitates caregiving among siblings, whereas greater family size forces adults to act judiciously about what and to whom they give.

Family Relationships and Well-Being

“…Most people believe that their siblings would be available to help them in a crisis ( Connidis, 1994 ; Van Volkom, 2006 ), and in general support exchanges, receiving emotional support from a sibling is related to higher levels of well-being among older adults ( Thomas, 2010 ). Relationship quality affects the experience of caregiving, with higher quality sibling relationships linked to greater provision of care ( Eriksen & Gerstel, 2002 ) and a lower likelihood of emotional strain from caregiving ( Mui & Morrow-Howell, 1993 ; Quinn, Clare, & Woods, 2009 ). Taken together, these studies suggest the importance of sibling relationships for well-being across the adult life course.…”

“…Lower socioeconomic status has been associated with reports of feeling less attached to siblings and this influences several outcomes such as obesity, depression, and substance use ( Van Gundy et al, 2015 ). Fewer socioeconomic resources can also limit the amount of care siblings provide ( Eriksen & Gerstel, 2002 ). These studies suggest sibling relationship quality as an axis of further disadvantage for already disadvantaged individuals.…”

Balance in Family Triads: How Intergenerational Relationships Affect the Adult Sibling Relationship

“…Of all family relationships, sibling relationships have the longest duration (Cicirelli, 1995; Matthews, 2002; van Gaalen, Dykstra, & Flap, 2008; Voorpostel, Dykstra, & Flap, 2007; Voorpostel, van der Lippe, & Flap, 2012). The development of strong adult sibling relationships forms an important source of support for adults over the life course (e.g., Cicirelli, 1995; Eriksen & Gerstel, 2002; Kalmijn & Leopold, 2019; Milevsky, 2005; Spitze & Trent, 2006; Voorpostel & Blieszner, 2008; Voorpostel et al, 2007; White & Riedmann, 1992).…”

Changing Sibling Relationships After Parents' Death: The Role of Solidarity and Kinkeeping

“…In studies on family relationships, there has been increasing attention to the relationships between adult siblings. These studies generally show that the sibling tie is an enduring source of affection and support (Cicirelli, 1994;Eriksen & Gerstel, 2002;Spitze & Trent, 2006;Voorpostel & Blieszner, 2008), although the relationship is also constrained by infrequent contact and large geographical distances (Voorpostel & van der Lippe, 2007) and, in a minority of cases, plagued by conflict and rivalry (Suitor, Sechrist, & Pillemer, 2007). Another and larger line of research has examined the consequences of parental death for the well-being of surviving family members, in particular the spouse and the children.…”