General and gender-specific dynamics determining the health status of employed family caregivers

Schwartz, Abby J.; Clark-Shirley, Leanne; Rainville, Chuck; M, Lee

doi:10.1080/08952841.2020.1819179

Cited by 2 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The aims of this study were to describe the pattern of informal care provision and received support among Swedish WKCs and to investigate whether the pattern varied by gender. While there is a growing number of studies on the importance of WKCs as informal care providers and employed female carers in particular [ 39 , 48 ], our study adds valuable information as relatively little is known about Swedish WKCs. Our findings indicate that gender does play a role in the type of care provided, the impact of care on employment and the type of carer support received.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent studies have revealed that the pattern of care provision and the negative outcomes of informal care differ between male and female WKCs. Female WKCs compared to male WKCs have lower paid working hours, are more likely to reduce their working hours, income and paid hours to undertake care [ 28 , 33 ] and experience higher financial strain from informal care provision [ 39 ]. In Sweden, a 2012 national survey revealed that 12% of female WKCs had to reduce their working hours compared to only 9% of their male counterparts [ 27 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Informal care provision among male and female working carers: Findings from a Swedish national survey

et al. 2022

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Introduction Informal carers in paid employment–working carers (WKCs)—have complex support needs. However, little is known about WKCs’ pattern of informal care provision, the support they receive, the impact providing care has on their employment, and how these vary between male and female WKCs. This study describes the pattern of informal care provision and received support among Swedish WKCs. Research method/Design The study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey of a stratified random sample of the Swedish population aged 18 or over. The questionnaire addressed the type and extent of informal care provided, support received and the impact of care provision on employment. Of the 30,009 people who received the questionnaire, 11,168 (37.3%) responded, providing an analytic sample of 818 (7.32% of respondents) employed or self-employed informal carers. Findings A typical Swedish WKC was a middle-aged female, providing weekly or daily care to a non-cohabitant parent, who experiences care as sometimes demanding and receives no formal support as a carer. Female WKCs were more likely than males to care alone and with higher intensity, to report a need for help in meeting their care-recipient’s needs, and to experience care as demanding. Approximately 17% of WKCs reported their employment had been affected due to caring, 40% their ability to work, and 31% their career development opportunities. Female WKCs’ ability to work was affected more than males’, and they were more commonly prevented from applying for work. Conclusion Swedish female WKCs compared to males provide more hours of informal care, across more care domains, more often alone. This places them in a challenging situation when combining paid work and care. Greater recognition of the challenges faced by WKCs is required in Sweden and other countries, as are policies to reduce gender inequalities in informal care provision in this group.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Informal care provision among male and female working carers: Findings from a Swedish national survey

et al. 2022

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“…This type of research generates knowledge on the topic but not always on the gender differences. For WKCs in general it is known that they experience higher demands than non-carers with greater impacts on their health and finances (Schwartz et al, 2020).…”

Section: Gender Dimensions Of Informal Caringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This gender imbalance in informal care provision has now been well-established with known gender differences in self-reported health, type of care provided and associated outcomes that show that especially female informal carers face more negative effects on their health and well-being compared to their male counterparts (Blom et al, 2020;Martinsson & Griffin, 2016;Skinner & Sogstad, 2022;Stanfors et al, 2019). Further, female carers' health has been shown to be negatively impacted by financial strain (Schwartz et al, 2020). The reason for this gender inequality is seen to arise from an unequal distribution of domestic care between males and females, with women constituting the majority of informal carers in the OECD countries (OECD, 2017;Rocard & Llena-Nozal, 2022).…”

Section: The Concept Of Health Among Wkcsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Negative outcomes at work include fewer opportunities to pursue a career, a higher risk of reducing paid working hours and stigmatization at the workplace (Andersson et al, 2017;Grünwald et al, 2020). Combining paid work and care could also have a detrimental impact at a personal level, leading to increased caregiver burden and affecting both their physical and psychological health (Converso et al, 2020;Schwartz et al, 2020). On the other hand, to be able to maintain one's employment has the potential to help WKCs to get a break from their caring responsibilities, maintain their independence, improve their financial situation and to have a social network with their work colleagues (Lafferty, Phillips, Fealy, et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Combining informal care with paid work: An exploration of working carers’ situation with regards to their health status, gendered patterns of care, support and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Vicente¹

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Working carers (WKCs) combine paid work with informal care. Little is known about this important group of carers, which is expected to increase in number due topopulation ageing and economic trends. WKCs are beneficial for society but thecombination of work and care roles has consequences for their social and financialcircumstances as well as their health. This thesis explores the caregiving situation ofWKCs. Study I was a scoping review of research on the challenges of and solutions for thecombination of paid work and care and the role of technologies in supportingWKCs. Results included a conceptual framework which identified high and/orcompeting demands as a key challenge solved by formal support. Web-based andcommunication technologies were seen to be a potential beneficial solution tosupport WKCs. Nevertheless, barriers existed in some instances, preventing theiroptimal use. Studies II and III were based on data from a 2018 survey of a stratified randomsample of the Swedish population. Study II described informal care provision andreceived support among Swedish female and male WKCs. Female compared tomale WKCs cared more often alone, with more intensity, experienced care as moredemanding while their ability to work was reduced to a greater extent. Study III determined the caregiving-related factors associated with WKCs’ reducedability to work and experience of caregiving as demanding. A key finding was thatpsychological stress and financial problems due to caregiving increased the odds ofboth experiencing caregiving as demanding and a reduced ability to work, whilefinding caregiving satisfying decreased the odds of both. Study IV was an interview study of WKCs’ experiences during the COVID-19pandemic. WKCs’ positive experiences included the delivery of support by distancevia digital technologies and more time with the care-recipient. Negative experiencesincluded the fear of becoming sick, new challenges at work, and the cancellation ofhome and community-based services for the care recipient. This thesis contributes new knowledge on the situation of WKCs in Sweden. Itsfindings have implications for how policy can more appropriately and effectivelyaddress WKCs’ needs and preferences for support and their combination of workand care roles.

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General and gender-specific dynamics determining the health status of employed family caregivers

Cited by 2 publications

References 22 publications

Informal care provision among male and female working carers: Findings from a Swedish national survey

Informal care provision among male and female working carers: Findings from a Swedish national survey

Combining informal care with paid work: An exploration of working carers’ situation with regards to their health status, gendered patterns of care, support and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

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