Social risks of family carers in the context of welfare state policies

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Objective: This article discusses the implications of systematically including policies on paid family care in the concept of care policy for older people for theorizing the relationship between such policies and gender inequality. Background: In theoretical debates about the relationship between gender and care policy, most welfare state researchers agree that policies that support extra-familial care promote women’s participation in formal, paid work and can thus reduce gender inequality. By contrast, the role of policies that offer pay and elements of social security for family care in promoting gender equality is up for debate. Method: This article addresses the aforementioned debates’ key arguments by discussing the relationship between gender equality and care policies that actively support family caregivers. The argument is contextualized with examples of empirical findings from the literature. Results: We argue that, to some degree and under specific conditions, new policies on paid family care have the potential to reduce gender inequality. Conclusion: The article contributes to theoretical debates about gender and care policy by evaluating the implications of systematically including policies on paid family care in the study of care policy. This inclusion could clarify the circumstances under which policy support for family caregivers can contribute to fostering gender equality.

Section: Gender and Care Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender and policies on paid family care: Overview of debate and theoretical reflections

Eggers,

Grages,

Pfau-Effinger

2024

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“…A main reason for this is that the "dual-earner" family's modern lifestyle is reliant on two incomes from formal employment, which potentially conflicts with additional engagement in familial care provision. Moreover, financial independence and social security rights, such as pension entitlements, are often attached to labour market participation (Eggers & Grages, 2023;Frericks, 2023;Lewis & Guillari, 2005;Orloff, 2009). A family member's decision to undertake care for an older relative may entail a part-time or full-time exit from the labour market.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New forms of family care in cultural and institutional contexts. Introduction to the Special Collection

Eggers,

Grages,

Pfau-Effinger

2024

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Objective: This special collection aims to contribute to theory and research on the cultural and institutional contexts of care and on the relationship between care policies, gender and the family. Background: Since the 1990s, many European welfare states have not only extended social rights and infrastructure related to extra-familial care, but have also expanded support for care by family members. So far, research on family care in the context of contemporary care policies remains scarce. Method: The special collection’s seven articles present theoretical debates related to family care and apply research on cross-national differences and intergroup differences using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods. Results: By taking a multidimensional perspective on family care for older people, the special collection offers new insights into institutional and cultural family care contexts, the social risks and scope of action connected with family care and the consequences of the development of care policies for the relationship between family, gender and care. Conclusion: The special collection demonstrates that the systematic analysis of the development of family care in its institutional and cultural contexts, as well as the consequences for the development of social risks and scope of action connected with family care, enhances our understanding of the changing relationship between family, gender and care.

Social inequalities and the wellbeing of family caregivers across European care regimes

Brandt¹,

Deindl

Floridi³

et al. 2023

Objective: In Europes' ageing societies, informal care is increasingly critical for fulfilling the care needs of older people. Social inequalities in informal care are, however, still poorly understood, and the (differential) wellbeing consequences of caregiving remain unclear. Background: To this end, we provide an overview of empirical results, methodological challenges, and open questions originating from our research project IN-CARE (2019-22) that set out to assess inequalities in care and wellbeing in different care regimes. In this article, we focus on social gradients in informal care and its impact on wellbeing across European care contexts from the perspective of caregivers. Method: Based on the data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and the English Longitudinal Study (ELSA) we applied different regression techniques and estimated fixed-effects models. Results: We find a socio-economic gradient in informal care and wellbeing. Yet, we do not find socio-economic differences in the effects of caregiving on caregivers’ wellbeing across European countries with different LTC policies. Also, we observe strong gender differences in the association of caregiving with caregivers’ wellbeing within the population of 50+, which depend on different care arrangements and care regimes. Conclusion: We conclude that gender is still the central inequality dimension in informal caregiving, linked to many other inequality dimensions, and strongly dependent on different care contexts. Thus, when designing social policies, multiple cross-level interactions and path dependencies should be considered.