Male/Female Differences in the Impact of Caring for Elderly Relatives on Labor Market Attachment and Hours of Work: 1997–2015
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Objectives: Using representative samples of the Canadian labor market (N = 5,871,850), this study examined male/female differences in the impact of informal care on labor market attachment, and the extent to which differences in labor market participation and employment relationships explained these differences over a 19-year period. Methods: We examined four outcomes related to labor market impacts associated with caring for elderly relatives: leaving the labor market, working part-time, taking time off work in the previous week, and the amount of time taken off from work. Regression models examined differences between men and women, and the extent to which gendered labor market roles accounted for these differences. Results: We observed an increase in all labor market outcomes over the study period. Women were more likely than men to experience each outcome. Adjusting for labor market role variables did not change these estimates appreciably. After adjustment for differences in labor market roles women were 73% more likely to leave the labor market, more than 5 times more likely to work part-time, and twice as likely to take time off in the last week due to informal care. Further, for temporary absences to provide care, women took an average of 160 min more per week than men. Discussion: Taken together, these results suggest an increasing impact of informal care on labor market participation in Canada between 1997 and 2005, and it remains gendered.
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A Canadian labor market study found that female caregivers were 73% more likely than men to leave the labor force and five times more likely to reduce working hours.
“A Canadian labor market study found that female caregivers were 73% more likely than men to leave the labor force and five times more likely to reduce working hours.5”
From Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Time-Use, Productivity, and Labor Outcomes Among Unpaid Cancer Caregivers (2026) · cites this paper as [5]
The Abstract Results report that, after adjustment for labor-market roles, women were 73% more likely than men to leave the labor market and more than five times more likely to work part-time due to informal care. The fivefold figure applies specifically to working part-time, not to every form of reduced working hours. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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Cites
Gender Differences in Caregiver Stressors, Social Resources, and Health: An Updated Meta-Analysis
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The effect of informal care on work and wages
Van Houtven, C. H., Coe, N. B., & Skira, M. M. (2013) · Journal of Health Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2012.10.006 · Cited by 479 · see citing works
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Allman, G., Morrell, L., Meheus, F., Ilbawi, A., Soerjomataram, I., MacKay, C., Reid, F., & Euripides, M. (2026) · JCO Global Oncology · doi:10.1200/go-26-00129
- Authors
- Smith, P. M., Cawley, C., Williams, A., & Mustard, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- McMaster University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Smith, Peter M
- Venue
- The Journals of Gerontology: Series B
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2019-04-08
- Volume
- 75
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 694-704
- ISSN
- 1079-5014 (ISSN-L)
- 1758-5368
- PMC
- PMC7021635
- OpenAlex
- W2938724765
- Cited by
- 32
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 5.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- The Journals of Gerontology Series B (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Monash University Research Portal (Monash University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Demography › Retirement, Disability, and Employment
- Keywords
- informal care, elderly relatives, gender differences, labour market attachment, labor force participation, part-time work, time off work, work-family balance, Canada
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Canada, Employment, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Personnel Staffing and Scheduling, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sex Factors, Caregivers
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