Cohort Trajectories by Age and Gender for Informal Caregiving in Europe Adjusted for Sociodemographic Changes, 2004 and 2015

Abstract

Objectives We present a dynamic view of gender patterns in informal caregiving across Europe in a context of socio-demographic transformations. It aims to answer the following research questions: i) has the gender gap in informal caregiving changed; ii) if so, is this due to changes among women and/or men; iii) has the gender care gap changed differently across care regimes? Methods Multilevel growth curve models are applied to gendered trajectories of informal caregiving of a panel sample of 50+ Europeans, grouped into 5-year cohorts and followed across 5 waves of the SHARE survey, stratified by sex and adjusted for several covariates. Results For men in cohorts born more recently there is a decrease in the prevalence of informal care outside the household, while cohort trajectories for women are mostly stable. Prevalence of care inside the household has increased for later born cohorts for all without discernible changes to the gender care gap. Gender care gaps overall widened among later born cohorts in the Continental cluster, while they remained constant in Southern Europe, and narrowed in the Nordic cluster. Discussion We discuss the cohort effects found in the context of gender differences in employment and care around retirement age, as well as possible demographic explanations for these. The shift from care outside to inside the household, where it mostly consists of spousal care, may require different policies to support carers, whose age profile and possible care burden seems to be increasing.