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. 2023 Aug 2;78(8):1412-1422.
doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbad011.

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

Ricardo Rodrigues  1   2 , Johan Rehnberg  3 , Cassandra Simmons  2 , Stefania Ilinca  4 , Eszter Zólyomi  2 , Afshin Vafaei  5 , Selma Kadi  2 , Janet Jull  6 , Susan P Phillips  5 , Stefan Fors  7   8
Affiliations

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

Ricardo Rodrigues et al. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. .

Abstract

Objectives: We present a dynamic view of gender patterns in informal caregiving across Europe in a context of sociodemographic transformations. We aim to answer the following research questions: (a) has the gender gap in informal caregiving changed; (b) if so, is this due to changes among women and/or men; and (c) 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 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe 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, whereas 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, whereas 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 seem to be increasing.

Keywords: Cohort analysis; Inequalities; Multilevel models.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Estimated probabilities of giving care, by gender in 11 European countries, 2004–2015 (from adjusted mixed-effects logistic regression models). Notes: Models adjusted for partner living in the household, self-rated health, education, employment, and number of chronic conditions. Predicted probabilities available in Supplementary Material 2. Weighted results.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
(A–C) Estimated probabilities of giving care outside and inside the household and for giving intense care outside the household, by gender in 11 European countries, 2004–2015 (from adjusted mixed-effects logistic regression models). Notes: Models adjusted for partner living in the household, self-rated health, education, employment, and number of chronic conditions. Predicted probabilities available in Supplementary Material 2. Weighted results.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
(A–C) Estimated probabilities of giving care, by gender and care regime, 2004–2015 (adjusted mixed-effects logistic regression models). Notes: Models adjust for partner living in the household, self-rated health, education, employment, and number of chronic conditions. Continental includes Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium; Southern includes Spain, Italy, and Greece; Northern includes Denmark and Sweden. Predicted probabilities available in Supplementary Material 2. Weighted results.
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References

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