13/9/23, 19:22 Informal Caregiving and Disadvantaged Socioeconomic Status

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Informal Caregiving and Disadvantaged

Socioeconomic Status
SHARE-based study explores how individual levels of
education, wealth, and income as well as social policy
structures are linked to informal care provision.

Formal care is often expensive and not always covered by health insurance or social security
programmes. Thus, many people rely on informal care within the household.
As societies keep aging, it is increasingly important to identify population groups who
require targeted support in family caregiving.
Individuals with a lower socioeconomic status are more likely to provide informal care.
National income inequality and social expenditure shape individuals’ caregiving decisions.
An increase in social spending and a more equitable resource distribution is needed to
support informal caregiving and help disadvantaged groups.

( April 2023 ) As the necessity for informal care increases in aging societies, it becomes even more
relevant to identify population groups in need of targeted support. To do so, a new study using
data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and from the English SHARE DATA

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13/9/23, 19:22 Informal Caregiving and Disadvantaged Socioeconomic Status
Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) explores the association between individuals’ socioeconomic
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status Research
and informal careResults
provision Publications Infrastructure
within the household. Projectsresearch
An international News team
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consisting of Nekehia T. Quashie, Melanie Wagner, Ellen Verbakel and Christian Deindl finds that
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groups with lower socioeconomic resources – classified as education, wealth, and income – are
more likely to provide informal care. The researchers also stress the importance of the national
social policy context and suggest more equitable social spending as a means to minimize
intensive family caregiving.

Cross-country comparison through SHARE and ELSA data

By analysing pooled data from SHARE Waves 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 and ELSA Waves 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7, the
researchers provide a European cross-country comparison. Given the study’s focus on within-
household care, respondents living alone or living only with children younger than 18 years were
excluded from the sample, leaving over 97,000 respondents from 21 European countries.

Role of socioeconomic status and national structures in informal care provision

Since formal care can be costly and is not always covered by health insurance or social security
programmes, many people rely on within-household care by family members – an issue that
becomes only more salient in the context of aging societies. Next to individuals’ socioeconomic
status, Quashie and colleagues also integrate two country-level measures into their analysis:
income inequality as well as social spending to support individuals and households. In countries
with a more developed or generous welfare state, and thus, higher levels of social spending, they
expect there to be less need for informal care by family members (and vice versa). Additionally,
they consider respondents’ age, gender, employment status and physical health.

Informal caregivers are more likely to be socioeconomically disadvantaged and have

poorer health

As found in the study, within household informal caregivers are likely to have a lower level of
education, income, and wealth compared to non-caregivers. In other words, it is more common
for individuals with a lower socioeconomic status to provide informal care within the household.
Caregivers also tend to be older, female and report poorer physical health. While informal
caregiving activities can have positive effects on self-esteem and family relationships, they may
also present additional physical strains on the caregiver – especially in countries with limited
social state intervention.

Varying levels of social spending and income inequality cause country-specific

differences

The prevalence of care provision inside the household varies between countries. The lowest
values are displayed by Sweden and Denmark (4% and 5%), where the relative amount of social
spending is particularly high. Meanwhile, Portugal, which stands out as the investigated country
with the highest level of income inequality, displays the highest prevalence of care provision
inside the household (12%). The researchers derive, that countries with a lower level of social
expenditure and higher income inequality are more likely to observe a stronger necessity for
informal care provision.

Lacking state support potentially aggravates socioeconomic and gender inequalities

The social policy context partially shapes cultural norms and expectations about caregiving
decisions. Therefore, wealthier countries, where demographic change is usually more advanced,
may have expanded their welfare infrastructure to meet the needs of an aging population. A
context of income inequality, on the other hand, can strengthen family solidarity at least in
circumstances where family members are vulnerable and in need of care. However, to provide SHARE DATA

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13/9/23, 19:22 Informal Caregiving and Disadvantaged Socioeconomic Status
the necessary resources for their family, informal caregivers, especially women, reduce hours or
stop Impact Research Results
working altogether, aggravating Publications Infrastructure
economic insecurity Projects
and gender inequalities. News Area
The study
concludes that an increase and a more equitable distribution of social expenditure and
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economic resources (e.g., income) is needed to reduce intensive family caregiving and support
aging adults.

Study by Nekehia T. Quashie, Melanie Wagner, Ellen Verbakel and Christian Deindl (2021).
Socioeconomic differences in informal caregiving in Europe. European Journal of Ageing. DOI:
10.1007/s10433-021-00666-y.

URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10433-021-00666-y

Photo: Adobe Stock / gballgiggs

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