Does the negative effect of caregiving on work persist over time?

Dörte Heger () and Thorben Korfhage

No 703, Ruhr Economic Papers from RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen

Abstract: Informal caregivers provide valuable services to elderly persons with long-term care needs. However, the time commitment of caregiving often competes against time spent in the labour force. In addition to the momentary trade-off, long-term consequences are possible since especially older workers might find it difficult to re-enter the labour market after a caregiving spell. While several studies document a negative relationship between caregiving and work, little is known about whether this effect is persistent over time. Analysing a large panel data set of 15 European countries and Israel, we show that care provision to an elderly parent has lasting negative effects on employment for both men and women but only women reduce their working hours.

Keywords: informal care; labour market outcomes; short and medium term effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J14 J22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age, nep-eur, nep-hea and nep-lma
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:rwirep:703

DOI: 10.4419/86788817

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