Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Study: Balancing career and care

Just as they are finishing off the task of raising children, many Canadians face a new challenge in life — providing care to aging parents, relatives or friends, according to a new study.

In 2002, more than 1.7 million adults aged 45 to 64 provided informal care to almost 2.3 million seniors with long-term disabilities or physical limitations.

Most of these caregivers were also in the work force, with 7 out of every 10 caregivers in this age range were employed, and many were women.

The study, published today in the online edition of Perspectives on Labour and Income, used the General Social survey on aging and social support to examine the prevalence and impact of caregiving among middle-aged Canadians. It examined the hours they spent in both paid work and the informal care of seniors.

Caregiving had some significant job-related consequences. Individuals providing four hours or more of care per week were more likely to reduce their work hours, change their work patterns or turn down a job offer or promotion. Among this group, 65% of women and 47% of men who were working over 40 hours were substantially affected.

Caregiving also influenced retirement decisions. Some 21% of women caregivers reported that the need to provide care to a family member would be a likely reason for retirement, compared with 13% of women who were not providing care.

When asked what would be most useful in letting them continue to help others, most caregivers replied that they would like occasional relief, especially those who combined longer hours of work with a high-intensity of caregiving.

The study shows how the intensity of juggling a career and the pressure of looking after the elderly can pull a person in two directions.

For example, a substantial number of people had feelings of guilt because they felt they should be doing more to help, or they felt they should be doing a better job.

Over 40% of women who provided over one hour of care a week reported substantial feelings of guilt. These feelings intensified as their hours of paid work increased.

In general, working longer hours was associated with increased guilt feelings among both men and women, but on average, men felt guilty to a lesser degree.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 4502.

The article "Balancing career and care" is now available in the November 2006 online edition of Perspectives on Labour and Income, Vol. 7, no. 11 (75-001-XIE, free) from the Publications module of our website.

For further information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Wendy Pyper (613-951-0381, wendy.pyper@statcan.ca), Labour and Household Surveys Analysis Division.

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